Review written by Corn Bread

Buy Deep Down Race from Clickgamer

Looking for a puzzle/action game hybrid? Look no further, software developer Erik Chong (a.k.a. Bonelyfish) has released a game entitled DeepDownRace, and it is quite an impressive game I might add.

DeepDownRace has both elements of an action game and a puzzle game for, just as fast reflexes are required to dig faster to the bottom of the level while avoiding various amounts of falling debris, a keen mind is also required to quickly spot the best route to dig to avoid crates and to recover oxygen power ups. The game is made up of 10 levels with each level made up of 500 feet of dirt and rubble, and you need to successfully dig down a total of 5,000 feet to reach the finish line. Digging down 5,000 feet sounds like a piece of cake, right? Wrong!

Gravity is your arch nemesis here as, when you start digging by breaking the blocks, this will cause the surrounding blocks to loosen and fall all around you. You have to be extremely careful when digging for some blocks are connected to each other, thus forming a larger block which, when you break off a part of it, is destroyed in its entirety. This can be both a blessing and a hazard as, when you break a large block, it will open up pathways to allow you to go down faster but, at the same time, cause more blocks from above to fall down faster on you.

As you dig down further, your oxygen supply will slowly be used up. You can replenish it by grabbing the oxygen capsules that are strategically placed throughout the levels. There are also a few wooden crates that block your way; these wooden crates differ from the ordinary blocks as the crates take more digging to destroy them, and to destroy these crates will use up 20% of your existing oxygen supply. It's usually better to simply avoid these crates, but the problem is that most of the oxygen capsules are surrounded by these crates and the only way to get to the oxygen capsules without breaking the crates is to dig under them.

Cosmetically, DeepDownRace doesn’t disappoint. The graphics are appropriately colorful and kiddie enough without being too cutesy to the point of irritation, and there is also enough palette variation for the debris so that you don’t get the same look to every level. The music and sound effects are also worth noting as the music is very upbeat and fits the overall theme of the game; there are also various music tracks available - you’ll hear a different tune every time you reach a new level. It’s always a joy to play a game with a very catchy tune and, just in case you don't agree, the game has its own sound control menu so you can easily turn off the music or sound effects or both. As far as I can tell, the game suffers from no glitches or slow-downs as it has always maintained a respectable and playable frame-rate on my iPAQ H3630. The animation in this game is also quite good - kudos to the developers for making such a solid product.

The game's controls are very simple - you use the directional pad for the up/down/left/right movements, and the calendar and contact buttons to climb up. You even have the option of assigning the controls to different hardware buttons if by any chance the default configuration doesn’t suit you. You can also use the screen of your Pocket PC as a virtual keypad if you want to.

Every time you start a new game, random levels are generated so as to ensure that you don’t get to play the same level twice. This is something that adds a lot of value to the game as it means that you get to play a totally new level every game. And if randomly generated levels is not enough for you, the game also comes complete with a fully-featured level editor so you can create your own custom levels to enjoy. The level editor is very easy to use, the interface is very clean and straight-forward enough to allow you to make your own levels in no time at all.

If, however, you're too lazy to create your own levels, you can go to the DeepDownRace website and download more custom levels. You can play the downloaded or custom made levels in the “Challenge mode” section of the game. A high score chart is also available in the game, plus you have the option of posting your high scores on the DeepDownRace website for all the world to see.

It's very obvious that DeepDownRace was made with extra care and thought as can be seen by the number of features it has; the game is both gorgeous and solidly made. But it would be nice if the gameplay itself was spruced up a bit - there are no power ups present, and the game does get a little boring after hours of continuous play. Despite this, however, DeepDownRace is worth it since you’ll be getting a beautifully made game with lots of features at a very decent price. I urge all puzzle/action gamers to give this title a try.

DeepDownRace is priced at $12.95 and available for all major Pocket PC's. It can be installed in either the main RAM or on a storage card. 700 KB of storage space is required, coupled with 1 MB of program memory, in order to run this game.

Pros:

• Colorful and attractive graphics.

• Catchy tunes and good sound effects.

• New levels are generated randomly.

• Level editor included.

• Download more levels at the DeepDownRace website.

Cons:

• Even with tons of features, the game does get a little boring since the game play itself has little variation.

Overall Score: 8/10

Many thanks to Bonely Fish for providing us with our review copy.

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