Shapo

Genre: Puzzle / Arcade

Players: 1

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Review:

Shapo is a Puzzle game with Arcade-style elements first released on PC in 2005, ported to PlayStation Portable in 2010, ported to Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2011 and then grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when that system was released. In this game, players place various-shaped pieces made of balls onto a balanced platform, with the goal being to clear full horizontal lines while being careful not to tip the balance too far in one direction or the other.

The visuals in this game are decent, using 2D visuals and backed by a melodic but forgettable soundtrack. My one complaint about this game is that everything is pretty visually tiny, making it all a bit harder to see. In particular, text here is all legible, but only just barely.

As for the gameplay itself, players use the touchscreen to place pieces, with the L and R buttons being used to spin them. Making things more interesting, the balls that pieces are made from are made of different materials, with some weighing more than others, a nice touch.

The game has a stage-based mode and a Puzzle mode. Between the two, I found the stage-based mode far superior, offering a fun difficulty progression overall. The Puzzle mode seemed like it was conceptually flawed- players have to commit to placing pieces in a limited space before knowing all the pieces they have to place, meaning they can be dooming themselves to failure without realizing it. Also, I’m a bit disappointed that there’s no true endless mode here, something that seems like it would world well for this game.

In the end, Shapo isn’t quite an absolute must-play Puzzle game, but it is a fun and unique one. I think it’s missing a few important features, but for a mere $5, this wouldn’t be a bad choice to add to the collection of a fan of Puzzle games.

tl;dr – Shapo is a Puzzle game with Arcade-style elements where players are placing puzzle pieces on a balanced platform trying to clear full lines without tipping the platform too far in either direction. While this game feels like it could do with an endless mode, and it doesn’t quite have the addictive quality I look for in a great Puzzle game, it’s still enjoyable and original enough to be worth the $5 for fans of the genre.

Grade: C+

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