(XBLA) Quarrel Review
Quick, grab your anagrams and follow me, Word has it this game might challenge you.
A lot of developers now are going from making games for consoles to handhelds, Mobile phones and Facebook. However Denki have flipped this in reverse and have bought to us an updated version of their popular iOS game “Quarrel”. Now if you have ever played one of the TV based games on either Direct TV or Sky TV, then chances are you’ve played something from these guys. Welcome now however to their venture into the world of Home consoles and the XBLA, welcome to the world of “Quarrel”
Gameplay:
One of the most unique features of this little gem, and one that a lot of games have tried before and couldn’t pull off... Is the fact they have managed to take a user interface designed for a keyboard and make it work with a controller. I’m not talking how you move around the map or anything like that, I mean with how you select your words and how easy it actually is. Smooth and effortless you won’t find yourself selecting the wrong letter at the wrong time like you do with some other “typing” games. And remember that little keyboard you purchased awhile back? What’s it called? The “chat pad” that little beauty taking up space in your cupboard can also be used as yet another smooth seamless way in which to type out your words.
The biggest feature here now is the addition of online multiplayer, a feature the fans of the iOS game have been hoping for a while now. And while I couldn’t find a random online to play with, that in itself is not a fault of the game it’s an issue that arises when a little known game first hits the marketplace. After convincing STE’s own John to grab this game and join me for a few rounds, we had no issue with lag or connections and managed to fit in a few trouble free games (All of which I won mind you.)
The single player aspect of Quarrels is a real challenge and one that will have those “I don’t lose anything” players refusing to give up until it’s done, no matter how many times the game goes “err that’s not a word”.
Domination
In domination mode you move through 12 differently stages of Gameplay each one getting harder as you progress.
Showdown
This mode pits you against 1 of 9 A.I each one with an increasingly better Word IQ and each one improving in tactics.
Challenge Mode
You have access to 12 different challenges against unique A.I each with their own “style” that will test your IQ and let you know if you are indeed a triple digit kind of player.
Quick match
Or if you just want a quick match you can also elect to play “Quick Match” and jump right in against a randomly selected A.I. nothing special about this mode and it’s just as the name tells you.
Graphics/Sound:
Being that this is an arcade game and somewhat of a mobile Port, I can easily roll the Graphics and Sounds categories into one quick little paragraph here. This is a basic arcade game with the focus on its gameplay and massive dictionary. The Graphics and the sound while nothing special or ground breaking are perfect for what this game is. They are smooth, cartoony, bright and colourful with no pressure on them to look or sound amazing. It really is all about the enjoyment of the game and the basic sounds/graphics fit that perfectly.
Value:
A lot of you will no doubt pick this up and probably never play it again, and that’s one of the main stumbling blocks for mobile games coming over to the arcade. But even for those people at only 400msps and with enough mates willing to grab it as well, the entertainment this game provides and the fact it will no doubt expand your vocabulary I find it to be a very worthy purchase and one I think very few people will regret.
Keep it
- Pick up and play, no steep learning curve
- A wonderful time waster if you have other mates who own it.
- Affordable for anyone.
Ditch It
- I did struggle to find an online game
- You can’t play it for hours as it does start to feel like “same/same”
Got anything else?
While you could never compare this to the likes of Bastion, Quarrel does deserve a home among the classic arcade games we are all lucky enough to play. I personally don’t think it would look out of place in anyone’s collection and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see anyone on my list playing it. So while not a 9 or a 10 a unique experience like this deserves it’s very solid and respectable 7.5/10 with price/ease of play and overall experience playing a massive part in that.
Score: 7.5/10
Also one last thing I must say before I finish with the review, Is a big thankyou to the guys at UTV Ignition Entertainment. They are the publishers of this game and from what I’ve heard actually stepped in and helped Denki get this out, Without companies like UTV smaller developers wouldn’t be able to survive in what is a rapidly changing industry. So thankyou UTV for looking after the little guys.