An incredible puzzle game for the non-puzzle gamer, Meteos will be stuck in your head like a catchy tune.
Meteos actually has a story. The evil planet Meteo is destroying planets with Meteos. When all seems lost while Meteo bombards an Earth- like planet, the inhabitants discover that three Meteos of the same type can fuse together to blast off into space. With this in mind, the civilization makes a spaceship to travel across the universe to help other planets.
Meteos' frantic gameplay is highly addictive, and will give you super senses like a wild beast while you try to keep up with it. The goal of the game is to destroy your opponent's planet. Blocks, which are called Meteos, will fall randomly from above, and like any other puzzle game, you have to line them up. How you line up Meteos is also different for 2 reasons. First, you move the blocks vertically. Second, the stylus allows for faster movement, so instead of switching two blocks at a time, you can scroll the block to where you want it. When you line up the Meteos, instead of disappearing, the blocks will spout rockets and blast themselves and any blocks above them towards space. These block piles typically don't go immediatley into space, instead they slowly fall. Therefore, you have to create additional lines on the pile or under it to keep it going upward.
Planets vary in ways Meteos are blasted off. One planet's blocks disappear when you complete lines, while on another gravity- heavy planet, you have to make two lines in quick succession to blast off blocks. Planets also vary in art style. Each planet has different inhabitants, which look like hieroglyphs. Blocks' designs, not their color, also differ, from flashing "molten" blocks on a fire planet to simple geometric designs on a machine planet.
The music and sound in Meteos is a wonder. Planets have different themes, including rock, techno, classical, and what even sounds like a tribal chanting ritual. The base music is simple, but it comes alive while you play, with different sounds being played when you do various actions.
There are many different modes in Meteos. The story mode contains three ways to play, which can essentially be described as "easy, medium, and hard". There's also time attack, endless play, and Simple, which allows you to customize individual matches. There is also multiplayer (no online). You can download Meteos to a friend's DS, which includes a simplified multiplayer and single player.
Overall, Meteos is good, yet I have a few minor complaints. Since blocks fall randomly, they sometimes set off a line that you might have been preparing for a combo. Also, despite the fact that the blocks' colors remain consistant, the different designs on them that vary from planet to planet can be a bit disorienting. Nonetheless, Meteos is an excellent game and should be part of any DS collection