Overview
At first glance BlackOut looks like a cool new engineering sim. Unfortunately
it's not; however, fans of challenging puzzle games may want to check
this one out from Ballshooter Games.
Pocket PC users (with ARM/Xscale, MIPS and SH3 devices) download a trial here
and read on for our review.
Gameplay
A blackout is when the power totally fails. It's a condition in which the
electricity level drops to zero; a complete loss of power. A number of factors
cause a blackout, including natural disasters-- such as a storm or an earthquake--
or a failure in the power company's equipment such as a transformer or a power
line. BlackOut (the game) is all about restoring the power to a city after
total power loss.
In this game you play an electrical engineer whose job is to reroute power
lines to make an end-to-end connection. As you create a complete circuit it
disappears and adds power to your meter. Your goal is to restore power to
the 100% level (via your meter) in order to move onto the next stage in the
game. As you move up in higher levels you'll see the power eventually returning
back to your city.
According to the developers you don't need to have an engineering background
to play this game, however, you do need to be a "brain-macho, super geek,
rocket scientist and Albert Einstein" all-combined. Unfortunately for
many there is some truth to the last statement. This game is extremely challenging
and at times particularly frustrating.
Basically, bits of power wires appear in timed sequence on your grid. As
you click on each with your stylus you can rotate them to connect to adjoining
bits to hopefully create a complete circuit (see screenshot below). Upon doing
so that group of bits---forming your new circuit---will disappear and add
power to your meter. If you fail to restore 100% power to the meter before
the grid fills up with wire bits, the game ends---no second chances here.
For score keepers there is a point system in BlackOut (which is nice), but
regrettably it seems that the wire bits randomly appear causing, in some cases,
absolutely no chance of forming a closed circuit. With that said this game
would be much better if you could not only rotate wire bits, but slide pieces
around the grid to help form a closed circuit
Gameplay score: 6/10
Graphics
The best parts of BlackOut are the graphics in the game. The images and effects
are extremely easy on the eyes and there are some cool lighting effects as
well. Rotating wire pieces are spot-on and the power surges are almost instantaneous.
Graphics score: 9/10
Controls
The controls in BlackOut are simple and straightforward. This is a good thing
too considering how difficult it can be to create a circuit. Everything is
a point and click away with your stylus and the game keeps track of your gameplay
every time you quit allowing you to resume games. There's also a handy top
score frame for keeping track of your engineering successes.
Controls score: 9/10
Sound
The sound in BlackOut is very well done. The soundtrack is of commercial quality
and actually quite enjoyable. This combined with the graphics make BlackOut
a pleasant experience for fans. The game only really needs a few variations
of sound effects to seal the deal.
Sound score: 8/10
Options
Unfortunately the only real option in BlackOut is to toggle sound on and off.
What the game needs is the ability to select easy-to-hard gameplay settings
or maybe the chance to slow up the timing of the wire pieces being randomly
placed on the grid. In addition, given the exceptional graphical capabilities
of the developer, some cool themed selectable skins would also make the game
more appealing.
Options score: 5/10
Replay Value
For fans of challenging puzzle games BlackOut is right up your alley. The
replay value in that case is virtually unlimited given the randomness of the
wire pieces being placed on the grid. However, for those who are not "brain-macho,
super geek, rocket scientist and Albert Einstein" all-combined, the game can
be repetitive and frustratingly troublesome.
Replay Value score: 7/10
Summary: What we have here is a brilliant idea for a puzzle game. Unfortunately
the game needs a slight revamp to attract most gamers. By adding the ability
to slide pieces around the grid and changing the timing of the random wire
pieces, BlackOut would allow for creating strategies to complete circuits---which
would be very cool. Unfortunately the game is almost too challenging and frustrating
to compel most Pocket PC gamers to pay the $14.95 registration fee.
The Good: Great graphics, sound and challenging gameplay for fans of
the genre.
The Bad: No gameplay options that make the game almost too demanding.
