Game: Mini Metro
Console: PC
Developer: Dinosaur Polo Club
Release Date: 6th November 2015
The London Underground map is a wonderful piece of design which simplifies and easily conveys the information needed by passengers. Mini Metro's art style is heavily influenced by this design and almost instantly playable thanks to a near universal understanding of the tube map concept. In mini metro, stations of different shapes appear on the map, to be connected by player designed train lines. Passengers appear at stations, represented by the shape of station they wish to travel to, and are taken to the most efficient station of that type.
In normal mode, the game ends when too many passengers are waiting at a station for too long and it becomes overcrowded. In endless mode, the goal is efficiency and players strive to find the best way to connect the stations which appear. In extreme mode, the game ends when overcrowding occurs at a station, but any tracks placed are permanent, meaning that careful planning in needed in case new stations appear in difficult locations.
There are several cities to choose from within the game's main mode, each with their own set of problems such as overcrowding, rivers or islands, making it harder to connect the stations in an efficient way. After a week has passed in-game, players are awarded upgrades such as more trains, carriages, tunnels, and lines with which to build. There's a maximum number of lines which can be used, but it's possible to wipe the slate clean and redesign the train system in all but extreme mode.
Oddly shaped stations provide somewhat of a challenge, as while circles and triangles appear fairly often, pentagons and stars will be unique stations on the map, requiring connection to as many lines as possible to avoid complex journeys from outer stations. There are stats and video progressions available in the game, which can be interesting to follow, and contribute to the element of strategy within the game as players attempt to constantly improve on their previous efforts.
Graphically the game is very pleasing, taking big cues from the London Underground map and eloquently modifying the necessary features to make an easy to understand game. The soundtrack is gentle and fits well with the gameplay to convey a buzzing transport network viewed from an overhead perspective.
Overall Mini Metro is the type of puzzle game which may only appeal to a particular set of gamers given its lack of action and story, but as a transport based puzzle game, it gives a surprising amount of options and playability which I find myself coming back to again and again. It's not the type of game that I'll play for hours on end or every day of the week, but for an hour here and there, it's a wonderfully relaxing and visually pleasing experience.
Rating: 84/100
Grade: B
Game: Hexcells
Console: PC
Developer: Matthew Brown
Release Date: 19th February 2014
Hexcells is a puzzle game which shares similarities with the Microsoft classic Minesweeper. As a fan of Minesweeper it was fairly interesting to see the concept work with cells sharing 6 borders rather than 8 and a clean, minimalist design. As players progress through the game's 6 "worlds" new elements are added to keep the puzzling fresh, adding elements of sudoku and mathematics. Players are given gems for completing a level, the number of which is based on how many mistakes were made. A certain number of gems is needed to unlock each world, though nothing really changes from world to world, save for the slight complexity twists.
Hexcells is a very short game, with just 36 puzzles and can easily be completed in one sitting. I found myself getting a little bored of the concept by the end of the game, and it's definitely not something that you'll want to play for hours on end. While it's a clever adaptation of Minesweeper, little has been done to up the excitement or overall replayability. The greatest thrill came from solving a puzzle in a logical way without making any mistakes, but was about as thrilling as it sounds.
Graphically Hexcells is clear and neat, using just three colours. It's a predictable look for such a puzzle game but it works well and makes things easy to see. Musically too there's a minimalist soundtrack which is linked to button presses and events within the game. My biggest frustration with the title overall was the fact that the right and left click buttons are easy to confuse once deeply focused on the game, as the right click marks unlit spots, and the left marks lit ones. This resulted in a few avoidable mistakes, but ones which were perhaps my fault and not the game's.
Overall Hexcells is a competent but short and somewhat middle-of-the road puzzle game. It's since received two sequels which expand further on the formula, but might have been better released as a complete set of 108 puzzles instead of 36 per title for 3 fairly short games. I enjoyed my time playing but will likely never touch it again now that all 6 worlds are complete.
Rating: 66/100
Grade: C
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