Tetris is, needless to say, a classic in the video game world. So it’s no surprise a lot of other games try to use similar styles of play. Some games pull it off nicely, others not so much. Links is one of those games keeps this overdone genre interesting.
The point of Links is to get five or more of the same color to touch vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The blocks fall in shapes very similar to Tetris and can be rotated with an upward swipe. The larger the group of blocks you put together, the bigger your score. The game can last forever and ends when you build a column so big it reaches the top of the playing field, again very similar to Tetris. Links features three gameplay modes which are all alike except for a few gimmicks.
Matchtris (creative huh?) mode is simply the game without any obstacles or added difficulties. Row Up mode is exactly like Matchtris except an extra row is added to the bottom of the screen every 5 seconds, making the game harder. Blocks mode adds black blocks into the playing field, which can only be destroyed through special abilities.
Links has some nice features that make it more appealing, such as Open Feint. The hidden achievements and leaderboards Open Feint brings to the table definitely make the game better. Auto-save is great for those of you trying to get a quick game in on the go. Links is also a beautiful looking game- the neon style looks great and plays smooth.
Plus there are four different kinds of Links styles, all of which look nice. And the controls of the game are perfect for the touch screen since all you have to do is swipe to move and rotate your blocks and double tap to slam your blocks down. If for some reason you don’t like these controls there’s an alternate control system in which you single tap to rotate and swipe up to slam the blocks down.
I do, however, have some complaints. First of all, there are no instructions whatsoever so I might just be an idiot, but I had some trouble catching on and being able to tell the difference between the three modes, since they are so similar. There’s no level separation and the blocks never speed up their falling rate, so the game stays at the same difficulty the whole time. Some might enjoy this, but to me it made the game a little less interesting. The gameplay itself is pretty unoriginal but the look and feel of the game keep it fresh.
Overall Links provides an alright experience, but similar games have been made before. It has a decent amount of features and replay value, and it’s pretty polished, so for a dollar I’d say it’s a good deal. It’s easy to get into and simple to understand, as well as pretty addictive. Buntar Games clearly put some time into this one, but it’s not too original and for anything more than a dollar I would say pass, but for a dollar I’d recommend checking out Links.