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Hebereke's Popoon
(Kono gemu wa Hebereke no desu!)
///here is a random word for you, the loyal reader. High.
///the line below is actually informative
//*This op is long, so I've include little comments or 'headers' or whatever you choose to call them. I've include both a 'fact sheet' and my op. My op is at the end. The facts come first. If you know the game already or want to know my opinion first, skip to the bit labelled 'my opinion'. I even have a summary at the end.*/
///intro
When I bought Hebereke's Popoon, I had no idea what the rules were. After playing for less than 10 minutes, I decided that I needed to read the manual to understand the aforementioned rules.
I did indeed read the manual and I did indeed understand the basic concept. Let me try to explain it to you.
///basic concept
In 'Hebereke's Popoon', the idea is to arrange falling blocks into horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines of 3, whereupon the blocks forming the line disappear. (thus stopping the blocks from reaching the top and losing you the game.) If you're skilful (or lucky) enough, you can get chain reactions which means that the blocks which were on top of the line fall to make another line which, in turn, disappear.
Of course, if you're luckier (or more skilful), you can get bigger chain reactions. So far, so much like 'Columns'.
However, unlike 'Columns', blocks fall in groups of 2 and as well as being able to move them left and right, you spin one block around the other.
I don't think I've explained this that well, but the way the bricks fall down is exactly like in Puyo Puyo/Kirby's Avalanche/Kirby's Ghost Trap/Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine if you've ever played that. (All these titles are basically the same game.) Just that instead of making 4 connect, you've got to make straight lines of 3.
///2-player attacks
In a multiplayer game, whenever you make blocks disappear, you attack your opponent in one of 4 ways.
This basically depends upon how many colours of blocks you managed to explode - 1, 2, 3 or 4.
After destroying one colour of blocks, you will send over a little character that can be exploded by placing a certain coloured block next to it.
Destroying 2 colours of blocks in a chain reaction send over coloured blocks to your opponent's playing field.
Destroying 3 or 4 colours of blocks will activate a special attack that depends upon the character you've selected.
Basically, the point of the game is this: destroy blocks, give your opponent blocks, make your opponent lose.
///the modes
On your tod, you can play a series of computer opponents. You don't get any endless mode or puzzle mode in this game.
With a group of friends, you can either have one-off best-of-3 matches or a knock-out tournament.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
how far I got: completed
the 1-player mode on the easiest difficulty setting, tried it
on a
harder setting and played a fair few 2-player games.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
rating : 3
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some of you may think I like puzzle games because this is true. Some of you may have thought that for no particular reason, but know now that you are correct.
Hebereke's Popoon is a puzzle game. However, I only like some puzzle games. I like puzzle games that are fun for me - after all, that's basically what it's all about.
Will I like Hebereke's Popoon, thereby decreeing it to be a 'good' puzzle game? Find out below.
///general gameplay
As far as the basic concept goes, I feel compelled to point out that, like all good puzzle games, making a chain-reaction is easy enough to be put down to skill rather than luck. Columns suffers badly for being the opposite way around.
However, unlike Puyo Puyo, chain reactions must be 'noticed' and performed 'on-the-fly' so to speak. You see, in Puyo Puyo, you have a bit more lee-way about where a bean could go, so if a ghost-bean falls in your field, you can modify your chain-reaction.
However, in Hebereke's Popoon, because the lines need to be totally straight, a single little character or block which was sent over in the wrong place can totally screw up your plans.
Initially, you might feel that this make the game more of a luck-type thing, but what you need to realise is that you're not actually supposed to spend ages working out plans for a brilliant chain reaction. Instead, simply spot opportunities as your blocks are falling, and you'll pull through.
That might be just the way I play, or it might not be, but the former is definitely the case. (Yes, I know, I'm mad. just ignore this paragraph and pretend it never happend. OK?)
I feel that overall, Hebereke's Popoon relies on luck a bit more than Puyo Puyo, but depends on enough skill to make it an enjoyable game.
Once you've had the basics explained and you've played a couple of matches, you should soon get the hang of it. After that, it's a case of working out a good overall strategy and exercising your brain.
///overall 1-player
The one player mode feels a bit weak. Unless you'll be playing this with friends, don't bother getting this. Playing computer opponents gets a bit boring, and a puzzle mode, challenge mode, time trial mode or something else to keep you playing would have made all the difference.
Even if you are going to be playing this with 2 players, you will always occasionally want to play the game on your own. The game just doesn't provide enough opportunity for you to enjoy yourself in this way.
///2-player overall
Because the game is rather easy to pick up and play, this gives it an enormous advantage in 2-player. Within 10 minutes an adept friend will have grasped the basics and will be a good challenge.
Tetris or Puyo Puyo, by contrast, demand a lot more time to be spent to learn the game.
One thing that makes Hebereke's Popoon so is the fact that luck plays a reasonable role in the proceedings. You might be almost dead, when you stumble across some brilliant chain-reaction that clears your entire screen.
This is actually reasonably likely, and it means that you will always have a fighting chance, as long as you have some skill.
Like I said, It's all about spotting combos and chain reactions on the fly.
///sound
Wonderfully, the game retains the original Japanese speech. 'Hebereke no Popoon!' the game will cry. I was hooked.
Others prefer the sound that Hebe's feet make, but overall the sound is bright and cheerful, with nice music encouraging you to play better and helping you along.
///graphics
The graphics also tie in with the theme of the game - bright, cheerful, fun.
Bold colours are used and the whole thing is done as well as you really could do a game of this sort.
////summary
Overall, I'd say that the only weak part of the game is the 1-player mode.
Even though you'll enjoy the 2-player mode a lot, you'll sometimes feel that you'd like to chill with a slightly different 1-player mode.
Tetris Attack was brilliant in this respect, having lots of different modes sharing the same basic rules.
I guess maybe that's just not what the designers set out to do. Maybe they wanted it to be a dedicated 2-player friendly puzzle match game.
It would have been nice if they'd remembered to put something in there for when your friend leaves for uni or whatever, but if you can accept that the game's only really going to be brought out for a 2 player match, you might enjoy it.
If you do, you might then choose to go on to greener pastures where the grass is longer (less-immediate fun).
It's not the best ever 2-player puzzle game, and it's a rubbish 1-player, but I'd recommend it to anyone who's new to the genre, simply because of its immediacy.
Bright and cheerful fun.
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