4 Elements HD (PS3) Review

Amidst all the hardcore combat and the realistic sports action, sometimes you just need a game that you can play on auto pilot. A game that makes you think and challenges you, but not in an in-your-face way. In other words, a puzzle game. Boolat Games brings you just that with 4 Elements HD, newly released on Playstation Network. Can it stand up to formidable classics like Tetris and Bejeweled, or is it just another wannabe?

Surprisingly enough, 4 Elements HD comes complete with a story line – a compelling one, no less, with fairies and evil forces and all that good stuff. Now, I don’t really need a story for a puzzle game, as the action and ease of play is the real draw, but it’s a neat touch and nicely done. In addition to the story line, there is the bonus feature of earning money when completing each level that that you can use to upgrade your castle.

The gameplay in 4 Elements HD is very simple to pick up. You’ll be working your way through a map crisscrossed with a very long path of bubble type things. Each bubble is a level, and you must complete them in order. The basic premise is that you are unleashing each of the four elements, so you go through all the water levels, move on to fire levels, on so forth. At the beginning of each level, your element (which is sort of a liquid that flows through any open spaces) is trapped by the colorful jewels that cover all the spaces in the game. You must create a string of three or more jewels to open the spaces beneath them, thus allowing the element to flow through. The levels are quite large for this type of game, so arrows will point you in whichever direction you need to flow to reach the altar at the end of the level.

The match three mechanic is a very simple one, and one you’ve likely seen before. But the way it’s done in 4 Elements HD is pretty clever, and makes for some interesting chains. Any three jewels that are touching can become part of a chain, even if they are in a straight row. You’ll find yourself looping jewels back and forth to create chains of 10, 15, or even 20 jewels once you get the hang of it. This is important, because long chains aren’t just for points of bragging rights in this game. If you create a larger than average chain, the jewels will explode spectacularly, taking out more than just the tiles underneath them. This becomes more and more important as you advance in the game, because you’ll soon be introduced to tiles that are two or three levels deep, frozen tiles, and even boulders. Creating a large chain next to an obstacle like this makes a quick and efficient way to get through tough spots.

Efficiency is important, because you are timed in 4 Elements HD. Rather than a clock counting down the seconds, there is a long vial filled with green liquid along the right side of the screen. When the liquid runs out, you are out of time and must begin the level again. The challenging part comes in when you realize that you have the same amount of time for very complicated later levels as you do for the beginning levels. You can restart the levels as many times as you like. The configuration of the level will be the same each time, allowing you to plan ahead for obstacles, but the jewels will be different, making it quite suitable for replay value.

Long chains aren’t the only weapon you have at your disposal to get through the levels before the green goo runs out. You acquire special attacks early on in the game, and these are a significant help on tough spots. They allow you to dig out one tile without making a match, explode a small area of tiles, switch two tiles, or shuffle all the tiles on the screen. Lest that seem to easy, rest assured that each must be powered up before you can use it. This is done by creating a certain number of chains for each color. For instance, green chains fill the shovel, red chains fill the bomb, etc. Using these wisely requires a bit of strategy, and adds a deeper element to the game.

Overall, 4 Elements HD looks great on the big screen. The colors are vibrant, the fairy animations are cute, and everything looks far better than you’d expect in a puzzle game. Until you get to the castle feature, that is. When you go to spend your hard earned cash on castle upgrades, you are greeted with a very dull, flat castle screen that hardly inspires you to spend any time on the feature.

The controls in 4 Elements HD are quite intuitive, for the most part. You simply hold down the “x” button while dragging the left stick to create your chains. The special attacks are accessed by holding down L1 and then pushing the corresponding button for the attack: “x”, “o”, etc. The Move control feature intrigued me, and I was curious how well it would work. I was surprised to find that creating chains with the move controller worked quite well. Simply hold the trigger button and move the controller around to create your chains. After just a bit of practice, I was doing just as well with the Move as the standard controller…..until I needed to use a special attack. Since there is no L1, you need to hold the center oval for your special attack, and then push one of the buttons that are directly ringing it. This is near impossible to do with one hand, and really slowed up the action on a game where time is of the essence, so I can’t honestly recommend the move feature.

Final Thoughts:
4 Elements HD is a great puzzle game with tons of levels,, a vibrant look, and loads of replay value. Bulky Move controls and a somewhat disappointing castle feature detract slightly form the game, but overall it is an excellent game and well worth your time. I give 4 Elements HD an 8.5 out of 10, and recommend it to puzzle fans everywhere.

User Score:
3 votes

3.7

Rating: -1 (from 1 vote)

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