G-Mode Archives25 Topolon

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1

.

Review:

Topolon is a game originally released on mobile phones in 2005 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. This is a Puzzle game has players clearing viruses from nodes on a network.

The presentation here is serviceable, but nothing extraordinary, using pixel art visuals with sparse animation and primitive chiptune sound and music. I understand that mobile phones in 2005 weren’t capable of much, but even so this game looks and sounds surprisingly dated by today’s standards. At the very least, this is all housed within a border designed to look like an old-fashioned cell phone, which is a nice touch.

The gameplay is somewhat similar to those puzzles that have you selecting tiles to light up adjacent tiles, trying to light up or remove all the lights… or those games where you remove pegs from a board in a way where adjacent pegs are affected. So… think like that, except instead of peg holes or tiles, the game board is different webs of connected nodes, and the “pegs” you’re clearing are viruses that grow and even change into more powerful forms over time when left unchecked.

It’s a solid formula, but unfortunately the rules seem inconsistent. Sometimes clicking on an empty node connected to multiple viruses will clear them all and end the level, and sometimes it’ll clear the others but create a new virus at the empty node. The game doesn’t explain why this is. Well, it doesn’t explain anything, really. And unfortunately, this inexplicable inconsistency makes it hard to really enjoy this game.

Players are given the option to play for one minute, five rounds, or to play an endless gauntlet of rounds until they can’t clear the viruses with the limited number of moves they have. Unfortunately, one option that is not present here is the ability to use the Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen, which would have been ideal for this game.

I can’t help but feel like there’s a good Puzzle game under the surface of Topolon if the game just got a bit more polish, an update to its presentation, and had more consistent rules. As it is, it’s hard for me to recommend it as more than just an oddity for those looking to try a classic mobile phone game.

tl;dr – Topolon is a Puzzle game where players are trying to clear a network of viruses by selecting nodes to clear the viruses that are adjacent. It’s a solid concept that builds on a classic Puzzle design, but unfortunately inconsistent rules and a dated presentation make this one hard to get into.

Grade: C-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Andy Miller, u/wonderponder, Johannes, Stov, Ilya Zverev, Eli Goodman, and KC. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}