Doodle Hex (DS) Review
Doodle Hex is a technically excellent puzzle/battle game that suffers from overly complex gameplay and a theme that will probably alienate much of its potential market. There isnt that much wrong with the game and, in fact, it does some things exceptionally well. Unfortunately, it doesnt seem to have been designed to appeal to the type of people who enjoy games of its nature. This will make it hard for Doodle Hex to find its niche in the overcrowded Nintendo DS puzzle game market.
Doodle Hex puts the player in the role of a doodler, a wizard-like character who is studying at The College of Runes; a magical school where students from all over the universe come to study. The school provides a rather generic fantasy setting where the player can battle other students in a secret spell-casting tournament organised by the resident ghost, Kalamazoo.
In the game, the stylus becomes the character’s wand and battles are fought by tracing runes on the touch screen. Tracing a rune will send a spell in the direction of the opponent, which – if it hits – will deplete their energy bar. When either players energy bar hits zero, the match is over. It sounds rather simple, but with over 200 runes, multiple combinations available and limited mana for casting spells, it gets very complex, very fast. Early on, tracing runes as fast as possible will win most matches, but very soon, more complex strategies are needed. Thankfully, the touch screen input is extremely accurate and only rarely will runes be misinterpreted by the game. Any mistakes are more likely to be a result of player error than technical error, and the accuracy of the touch screen input is remarkable when compared to many other third party DS games.
The game initially takes the player through a few different tutorials, explaining how the game works. Each rune has a different offensive or defensive effect and requires a certain amount of mana to cast. Once a rune has been successfully drawn, the spell will travel towards the opponent in the form of a coloured ball. Different runes travel at different speeds and the accuracy with which they are drawn will affect their strength. The player can ignite a defensive shield that will temporarily block enemy spells or use a defensive spell to counter. The players mana level will continually regenerate, but only when the shield is not in use. It all happens in real time, so the opponent will be sending their own spells towards the players character at the same time. It quickly becomes a struggle to balance attack and defence and your mana level to produce combinations that will deplete the opponents energy bar first. In fact, it becomes such a struggle to keep up with all the different elements that Doodle Hex stops being fun and starts feeling like hard work.
This complexity is where this interesting little game starts to fall down. Most successful puzzle-type games have one thing in common: They employ uncomplicated gameplay mechanics that can be used in a variety of simple and complex ways to achieve a goal.
Doodle Hex on the other hand, employs multiple complicated gameplay mechanics in a complex way. This makes it a game that requires the player to remember intricate, arcane combinations and multiple effects and attributes to progress. Compare that to the simple mechanic of a game like Tetris, where making lines with six different blocks is the only thing that needs to be done too progress. Players can keep Tetris simple, by making single lines, or complex, by making double, triple or tetris lines. Doodle Hex on the other hand requires players to learn extremely complex ways of playing if they are to progress. It is just too much for most casual gamers to persevere with, and hardcore gamers looking for complicated gameplay are not going to be looking at Doodle Hex; especially when there are more flashy and action-packed options on the shelves.
Another of Doodle Hexs weaknesses is that while it does look and sound great, with some colourful graphics and very cool music, the characters and setting are instantly forgettable. Standard cartoony drawings and silly fantasy trappings may really alienate casual and non-gamers who may not be so accustomed to stories about wizards, spells, mana and runes. Video games in general could really benefit by leaving behind the fantasy settings that seem to have been an ever present since the early days of the industry. Doodle Hex, in particular, would have greatly benefited from a more mature setting. A story about witches and magic can do more to alienate and marginalise video games than even the most violent and gory games. It is what makes non-gamers happy to dismiss video games as a childs toy, rather than acknowledge it as a relevant and mainstream entertainment option. A game like Doodle Hex doesnt need a story to differentiate it from the crowd, in fact, putting a story about magic and runes and spells into the game probably has the opposite effect and turns it into just another silly game. It is the gameplay that truly differentiates Doodle Hex and because of the storyline and art style, that unique gameplay will never truly have the change to shine in its own right.
The game does have a single-card multiplayer component, but it too suffers from the same flaws. A more simple design would have definitely lent itself to a more engaging multiplayer experience for players. Instead, matches are one-sided unless both players have a similar skill level.
Doodle Hex is by no means a bad game. Technically it is quite proficient and its touch screen recognition is almost flawless. The sound and graphics are nice and clear and the core mechanics of the game are sound. It falls down though because the gameplay is just far too complex and the setting and storyline make it inaccessible for the casual and non-gamer market. A more simplified version with none of the wacky magical storyline might find its place in the upper reaches of the DS puzzle game market, but as it stands, Doodle Hex is destined to go unnoticed by both the hardcore crowd and the casual and non-gamers.
