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Hebereke's Popoitto
(Computer game sequels tend to be better. Which makes this an exception.)
///intro
When creating a sequel to a puzzle game, I suppose there are 2 paths you can go down. Either you could keep the original rules and simply tweak a few bits, or you could change the rules a bit in an attempt to improve it.
Of course, with a level-based game you could just make a few new levels, but that's not possible with an endless puzzle game like Hebereke's Popoon. They could have released a proper sequel, keeping the rules, maybe introducing a league option, maybe even a 3,4 or 5 player mode... but for whatever reason, they decided to take a step sideways and try something a little different.
///basic concept
As with Hebereke's Popoon, little 'popoons' fall in groups of 2. However, this time, they must be connected in lines of 4, which can only be either horizontal or vertical. Since this is obviously harder that connecting lines of 3, you now occasionally get flashing popoons, which can count as any colour.
At the start of each game, you will have a few little faces on your field. In this game, these basically count as a popoon, except that they move around. So, if 4 faces line up in a row by themselves, then they disappear and you're a bit jammy. Normally though, you need to use a little bit of strategy, perhaps pinning them in place by placing popoons on top of them.
Clearing these faces is the idea of the game.
///1-player mode
In the 1-player mode, you progress through 8 'fights'. Each fight works on a 'best out of 3' basis. Each time you manage to clear all the faces you start with, that counts as a win whilst placing a popoon in such a way that another can't come out counts as a loss.
If you lose 2 rounds, you are allowed to continue.
///2-player mode
In the 2-player mode, the game basically works in the same way. Clearing the faces counts as a win and letting the popoons rise too high counts as a loss.
It seems that neither player affects the other's field.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
how far I got: completed
the 1-player mode on normal (the hardest difficulty setting)
and
played a few 2-player games.
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rating : 12
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Whilst Hebereke's Popoon isn't my favourite game ever, I enjoy playing it against friends and think that its immediacy is great. There is a lot of luck involved, but this just makes the matches even more unpredictable and fun. At the same time though, the better player did tend to win.
For these reasons, I had high hopes for Hebereke's Popoitto.
However, it soon became apparent that whilst Hebereke's Popoon is exciting, with the victor never apparent until the last minute (but matches usually going the way of the more skilled player), Hebereke's Popoitto is rather dull. Often, the victor is apparent after 5 minutes; the remaining time being a drawn-out waste of time.
Few troublesome items are sent over and if you get into trouble, it is extremely difficult to get out. Whilst this might all make for matches based less on luck and more on skill, it also means that both players need to be nearly equally matched for an enjoyable game. If the 1-player game had been reasonably interesting, this wouldn't be a problem, but that too soon becomes a chore to play through.
Overall, If you and a friend are both into puzzle games, and are prepared to spend a while getting decent, the game may eventually become enjoyable, but otherwise, don't bother. Even then, the slow pace and lack of interaction between players would still remain.
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