Pipe Mania > Video Game News, Inc.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pipe Mania
By Sheep @ 9:27 AM :: 2044 Views ::

:: DS

Pipe Mania for the Nintendo DS is a new take on the classic old puzzle game that was originally released on the Amiga back in 1989. The overall goal of each stage is to connect the faucet and drain with randomly generated pipe pieces as you race against time; if you don’t connect the pieces fast enough, the liquid escapes and you lose. Reading the game’s description, I was reminded of an old NES game called Pipe Dream by Lucas Arts. Well, it turns out, that was actually Pipe Mania being published under a different name. Why am I giving you a Pipe Mania history lesson, you ask? I wanted to point out that you have probably played this game before at some point. You might have played it on your cell phone or maybe one of those websites with thousands of free Flash games. This latest incarnation takes the classically simple game play, pegs on a corny cartoon story, and adds all kinds of new features and modes into the mix. But is it worth Joe the plumber’s time and money in these dark economic times?

First, let’s discuss the basic flow of Pipe Mania. The stage begins and you are presented with a faucet and a drain, which you must somehow connect with the random pipe pieces you are given. Similar to Tetris, you can see which pieces are on the way, but unlike Tetris, you cannot rotate the pipe pieces. This restriction really forces you to plan ahead. If you’re like me, you will just start plopping pipe pieces wherever you can. Once the stage begins, you have a short amount of time before the liquid starts moving from the faucet. The basic challenge lies in the fact you must connect the faucet and drain before the liquid or “flooze,” as it’s called in the Pipe Mania universe, has time to spill out. This can lead to some frantic, sweaty pipe laying action as you try to stay one step ahead of the flooze. If you happen to make a mistake, you can simply place a new pipe piece over the old and it is replaced. You lose some points for destroying misplaced pieces, but at least you can’t get stuck because you made some idiotic miscalculation.

The main part of the game is called “World Mode”; it’s broken down into multiple themed stages to advance through. You have to earn a certain number of trophies before being allowed entrance to the next area. The themes include, “Sewer,” “Railroad,” and “Factory,” among other simplified descriptions. Sorry, “Ice” and “Fire” fans. As consolation, there is an area called “Internet,” but I haven’t unlocked it yet. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only does each area’s theme change the look of the levels cosmetically, but they also change the game play style. For example, the railroad stage has you laying tracks instead of pipes as you try to help the train reach the station by hitting switches and creating bridges within a given time limit. Since new functions are introduced almost every stage, it sometimes gets a little overwhelming, but you are given unlimited continues and can even skip failed stages if you want.

In addition to World Mode, you can play “Classic Mode,” a back to basics take on the original Pipe Mania. Some of the newer, more lenient features, such as the “leak meter,” which actually lets you continue placing pieces as flooze gushes out, are done away with. The stripped down Classic mode is actually a lot of fun and made me appreciate the updated version even more. “Arcade Mode” forces you to complete your series of pipes as the game screen scrolls left to right automatically at variable speeds. The last mode to unlock is simply called “Bonus.” This mode contains numerous puzzles varying in sizes and complexity. It felt like the least developed of the four modes, but I guess it succeeds by having the low expectation of being a bonus. I should mention that each mode has multiple difficulty settings and options to keep things interesting if you think you have truly mastered the game. Other unlockables include character profiles and animated cut scenes, which aren’t as cool, but still might give younger players a sense of accomplishment.

So this game seems to have a lot of content, but what about the graphics, sound, and play control? The graphics have a cartoon feel to them, complete with over the top boss characters. Levels vary from being bright and cheery to dark and slimy. The music is good enough; it reminds me of some British cartoon show I imagine broadcasting in the eighties. The most important aspect of a puzzle game would have to be the play controls though. Initially, I tried playing the game using the stylus, but found it much easier to just use the control pad and buttons. “Question mark” pipe pieces force you to “draw” the type of pipe you would like to use, but it was just as easy to use my finger since you only had to make a simple elbow or straight line.

There are many DS puzzlers to choose from, but Pipe Mania benefits by having so much content and replay value included under a twenty dollar price tag. Finally, a budget game that everyone, including plumbers earning a quarter-million dollars annually can get behind. While lack of multiplayer might turn some off to this game, those looking for a new portable puzzle game will definitely find a lot to love here.

8 out of 10

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