Number Battle

Genre: Puzzle / Board Game

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless)

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Review:

Number Battle, released on the DSiWare service in 2010 and grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when the Nintendo 3DS released, is a Puzzle game with highly strategic elements that almost make it more like a Board Game or Strategy game. This game is about positioning your numbered pieces on a game board

The presentation here seems like this game was created specifically to appeal to a niche Japanese audience without any thought given to how it would be seen elsewhere, because everything about this game seems to scream “boring”. From its name (seriously, can you think of a more boring name than “Number Battle”?) to its grainy visuals inspired by traditional Japanese watercolor calligraphy… and not in that pretty Okami sorta’ style, but in a “we want this to look really old and Japanesey” kinda’ way, with traditional-style Japanese music to match.

Because of this, you may find it hard to work up much enthusiasm for Number Battle… but you really should. Because underneath the boring name and uninteresting presentation, this is an absolutely killer competitive turn-based Puzzle game.

Players take turns using the touchscreen to place tiles on a board with numbers ranging from 1-5. Tiles can either match the color of the player, meaning that player can only place them near other “friendly” tiles and only that player can use that color tiles for combos… or they can be “rainbow” colored, meaning they can be placed anywhere, but anyone can use them. Tiles all have links on one or more of their sides, and linking tiles with already-placed tiles creates combos. Players score points when making part or all of a straight (1-2-3-4-5), when repeating the same number (4-4-4-4-4-4…), when creating loops, or when completely closing off a chain so there are no unmatched links in the chain.

Using these simple rules, players must out-think their opponent(s), placing tiles in ways that benefit them but hopefully don’t benefit their opponent. It’s easy to wrap your head around, and gradually you start to see techniques to really exploit the game’s rules – splitting your combo causes you to score for both directions of the split, and creating concentric loops causes you to score for each new loop you make, even those overlapping parts of each other.

The game builds on this great core gameplay by adding new elements, such as special abilities you can collect and use to give you new opportunities or hinder opponents, hazards that reduce your score, changing conditions that can give you more points for placement in a certain place if you act in time… and a part of succeeding here is properly assessing the play field to make smart choices about placement.

This results in gameplay that exemplifies the “easy to learn, tough to master” mantra, and makes this game absurdly compelling, with tons of great multiplayer potential. Unfortunately, the lack of a download play option limits this multiplayer potential – unless you can find another Nintendo 3DS owner willing to trust you that, “no, really, this odd Japanesey-looking game called Number Battle is actually really, really good” and buy a copy for themselves, you’ll probably have a hard time playing this game in multiplayer, and this game really is the sort of game that’s meant for multiplayer.

Having said that, the AI opponents you’ll play against are generally competent enough to give you a good run for your money, and the game does include a Campaign mode and a Puzzle mode for solo players to play through. In addition, the meager $5 price tag makes this pretty easy to make the jump on.

As such, if you own a Nintendo 3DS and enjoy Puzzle games, Strategy games, or Board games, consider this game an absolute must-buy. The presentation is as bland and uninteresting as the game’s dry title, but underneath is a magnificent strategic turn-based game that is an absolute must-play, and a steal at $5. Do not miss it!

tl;dr – Number Battle is a game that may have a boring name and a bland presentation, but underneath that is a Puzzle game with Strategy and Board Game elements that is one of the most compelling games to grace those genres on the Nintendo 3DS. What’s more, its $5 price tag makes it not much of a risk at all. If you like any of the genres named above, you should absolutely not miss out on this true gem of a game.

Grade: A-

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