SAN FRANCISCO – Cradle of Rome. The title alone had me quivering with anticipation, even though I'd never heard of it before.
Amassing resources, constructing buildings – turn-based strategy games are almost always a good thing, especially on the Nintendo DS. And one based on ancient Rome? Hell, I love Civilization, so this should be good.
So it turns out that the game has absolutely nothing to do with showing the ancient world who's boss. It's actually a match-three puzzle game, in which players build the ancient city of Rome by matching tiles over the course of 100 difference puzzles.
Once a PC game, the casual title is seeking a new audience on DS – and it's actually pretty fun.
The match-three genre isn't exactly praised for its depth: Find three objects, and set them in a row – bright explosions are occasionally involved. Nevertheless, they're usually fairly enjoyable, and Cradle of Rome is no exception.
It's your standard Bejewled-style affair, with a few caveats. There are several types of tiles (you'll see bits of meat, stone and gold), some of which are dark blue. To complete each level, you'll need to break all the dark blue tiles by matching them with similar objects before running out of time. But to actually make progress in the game, you'll also have to amass resources by matching the various extraneous tiles.
The first stage presents you with a relatively simple number of blue tiles to clear. Match the other tiles, and you'll add to your resource count. Once you've gathered enough gold, you'll acquire the first building of your Roman empire – the sawmill. From then on, levels will include a new resource tile, lumber. Gather enough lumber (in addition to the other resources) while completing levels, and more buildings and resources will become available to you.
Special tiles are tossed in on later levels, to add an extra bit of challenge to the gameplay. For example, chains on a particular object mean it's attached to its spot on the board – to clear a chained tile, you'll have to maneuver similar tiles toward it. And those blue tiles will eventually come in lighter shades – to eliminate them, you'll have to match them several times. Since a tile's color is independent of the particular resource that's on the tile, that means making a different set every time.
While you're off amassing goods and constructing buildings, you'll also occasionally run into equipment that can be unlocked to help you as you play. The hammer, for example, will allow you to break an individual tile. These tools can only be used once per level – to recharge your hammer, you'll have to collect more hammer tiles. While your tools will carry over from one level to the next, each level only contains one set of tiles for a particular tool, chosen at random. Use a tool you like, and there's no guarantee you'll see it again soon.
There isn't exactly a lack of casual games on the DS, but with 100 puzzles to sift through, Cradle of Rome should provide an entertaining diversion, especially if it's priced right. The game will be released Nov. 18.
Image courtesy cerasus.media
