like a normal puzzle game...but backwards
It quite literally flips the puzzle genre on its head, the aim of the game is as always to chain together matching blocks, so far so good, and then cause rocket boosts to send them up to the top of the screen, what now?!, which then disintegrates them into little pieces which then attack opposing planets. Madness, utter madness- but definitely different.
This is most effectively done using the stylus, although more conventional methods can be used. Unlike games such as zoo keeper you can move any piece anywhere as long as it is in a vertical column. This makes it almost impossible to run out of moves, but the game is still very difficult as the pace in which it is played goes into warp speed. Before you know it blocks will be piling in and, just as in tetris, your screen will fill up ending your game. The only way to stop this happening is by chaining the blocks together. This can be done in two ways : vertically or horizontally. When stacked vertically the rocket boost will usually send the meteos straight off of the screen and into space, however this only clears one column whereas launching them horizontally can take up to 5 columns into the air. But with all this extra weight the rockets fail to leave the bottem screen. meaning you have to try and create more propulsion by chaining more meteos. If done correctly you can send almost an entire screen of meteos into the stratosphere. There are a couple of different modes to play through the first being a normal time attack with the aim being to amass the highest score possible in a given time limit. There is also a mode called Deluge where you basically keep launching meteos until you can't launch anymore or until your stylus wears away. The main mode is Star Mode where you play through a series of planets to reach Meteos at the end and attempt to destroy it. the wealth of modes here add to the lifespan of the game and there is also the fusion room, where meteos that have been launched are recorded and can then be traded in for new planets, items, sounds etc. The game is good for quick bursts as well as longer sessions so should have frequent trips into your DS cart slot. Each individual planet has its own properties, for example on some of the water based stages the meteos launched appear to move as if in water. This is a nice touch and keeps the gameplay varied, causing you to have a slight rethink on how to approach each planet. The game is hard though, especially to beginner players, due to the speed in which the meteos rain down but practice makes perfect. Graphically it could be any puzzle game really functional, bright blocks; apart from the backgrounds which match the type of planet and give the game a little character. Overall a great puzzle game easily up there with tetris and Zoo keeper although it is held back by its lack of WiFi Online play.