If you're even a passing fan of puzzle games, AstroPop is right for you.
You probably haven’t played anything quite like AstroPop. You pilot a small that can only move from side to side along the bottom of the screen. You view the entire game from a bird’s eye view. As you maneuver, colored bricks enter the level one line at a time. The goal is to eliminate them by placing them in groups of four. Your ship allows you to pull down as many bricks of the same color as you can, before firing them back upward to destroy them. In addition, there are two special bricks on top of the normal ones: a poison brick that infects other blocks and a steel brick. Your ship is unable to move either of these types of brick. The bricks push down the screen in rows, and when the bricks reach the bottom it’s game over. They are only vulnerable to the SUPA weapon, which is a weapon that re-charges as you destroy bricks. When you activate it destroys tons of bricks at a time through big lasers. It’s time is limited and it is upgraded several times in a game. Each of the four characters has a SUPA weapon that destroys bricks differently. Finally, combos involve destroying four bricks, which causes other bricks to form groups of four.
AstroPop features two different modes that are unfortunately fairly similar. In classic mode you earn points by eliminating as many bricks as possible. The timed mode involves playing against a clock to see how long you can survive. The modes are successful and addictive because of their simple nature. The timed mode showcases the game’s rapid pace, and your fingers will fly on the controller. As you gain points and learn to unleash large combos your points score grows, and you are feel drawn to get higher scores and earn the achievements.
In terms of Sound, AstroPop can be very repetitive. Each combo is announced in an annoying voice that says “hyper combo” over and over. None of the characters speak, which focuses the music on the repetitive soundtrack. The music, unlike the bricks, is bland and dull. The bricks are vibrantly colored: red, green, blue and yellow. The bright hues contrast nicely with the dark backdrop. The visual of a SUPA weapon destroying bricks is smooth and flows well, like the rest of the visuals and the frame-rate. The menus are bland, and the characters could use a few more facial details. The graphics are nice, but the audio is a large turnoff, because it detracts from the experience.
AstroPop is a fast-paced and addictive puzzle game. Fans of the genre are sure to find something to like, because of AstroPop basic controls. AstroPop does have lackluster sound, but a great looking graphical component and terrific gameplay make up for it in spades. If you’re even a passing fan of puzzle games, you owe it to yourself to give AstroPop a whirl.