Tragnarion Studios has re-released it’s battle/spell-casting game, Doodle Hex. We got some hands-on time with this fun little title, and we’re pretty impressed.
Let’s start off by saying that if you suffer from “gaming shame,” and wouldn’t be seen with a copy of Pokemon in your kit-bag, this review – and the game itself – may not be for you. However, if you’ve got an open mind, and remember that games are for having fun, you should continue reading.
I’m an old guy for a gamer, but do enjoy the odd kid game, most often with my kids right next to me. Doodle Hex is an innovative battling game in the vein of Pokemon (though without the depth that venerable series has). My daughter, however, is eight years old and is an unabashed Nintendogs and Pokemon fan, so this game was a perfect match for her. We both put it through its paces, and are here to share with you the simple joy of a fun, simple game.
You play any one of seven characters, lovingly rendered in a beautiful cartoony way. Seven more can be unlocked as you progress through the game. Characters have names like “Strat,” “Djinn,” “Cassie” and “Princess Tiffani.” Very attractive to my daughter. Each character has strengths and weaknesses, so part of the strategy is choosing a character that best fits your gameplay style. There’s a story of sorts, as well as character back-story that is presented in a little text/image montage when you begin playing a new character. Once chosen, your character heads to the magic school, and begins to learn how to cast spells.
Learning the runes: challenging AND rewarding
The Runes of Strategy
This portion of the game begins with a tutorial, taking you through some basic rune shapes that you must draw on the lower screen, in the spell casting area. Each rune has specific effects on an opponent. Battling consists of drawing runes, sending them around the battle circle to affect your opponent, and then shielding or preventing your opponent’s runes from hitting you. It’s a puzzle/strategy game, and as such, does a very good job. My daughter was able to pick up the mechanic fairly quickly by reading through the tutorials and practicing the rune drawing. She’s even gotten to a point in her gameplay where she employs a bit of strategy. This is where it gets interesting for me, the “grown-up.” There are many different ways to drop your opponent’s energy bar, and thereby win the match. Some runes have a light effect, others have a stronger effect, causing more damage. There are runes to protect you, runes to speed up the delivery of offensive runes, and runes to slow down the approaching runes. Winning matches, especially at the higher levels, becomes less about drawing quickly, but choosing the right combination of defensive and offensive spells, while watching what’s coming in to hit you.
Fun To Watch & Fun To Play
During each battle, the top screen of the DS shows a montage of quickly moving battle scenes. You see your character and the opponent throwing and being hit by magical orbs and bolts of energy. It’s hard to see while playing, as your attention is needed on the bottom screen, but watching my daughter play, I was able to tune in to the top screen. The animation and characters are lovingly rendered, and show a high quality and attention to detail.
Another plus for this game is the multiplayer aspect. You can duel with a friend in both single-card and (untested by this reviewer) dual-card play modes. In single card play, you download to one DS unit, and then battle against each other. It helps if both of you have similar skill levels. If not, it’s fairly easy to hex the crap out of your opponent. In this case, my eight year old repeatedly wiped the floor with me until I got a better sense of her strategy style. Then I floored her with my superior gaming skillz.
The main flaws of this game are two-fold, one to do with gameplay and flow, the other to do with marketing and theme design.
This game takes a while to “get.” Players are thrown right into choosing a character avatar and battling before any main story takes place. The opening cutscene is too easily skipped with a press of any button, and players might miss the deeper backstory that, I feel, elevates this game above the standard puzzler. At first glance, however, I was ready to dismiss it as “just another battle game.”
Target Market?
This game is clearly marketed to kids. The art style, the story line, etc. All appeal to a Harry Potter or Pokemon fan, not a more adult gamer who may really like the gameplay and the puzzle/strategy game mechanics. I’m thinking that with a similar mechanic, but a different art style and market target, kids and adults alike may have picked up the game. As it is, I think it will mainly be purchased for kids.
Which isn’t a bad thing. As I watched and listened to the delight with which my daughter played this game, I couldn’t help but smile. The characters say cute things when attacking or getting smacked by a well-placed rune spell. My daughter would laugh and laugh when they said something silly. She also ran upstairs to tell me how cool it was that her character got a pet pig, and how much it helped her defeat her opponent. These are good things, and add to the rating I’m giving this game.
The Verdict:
Doodle Hex is a fun game with unique mechanics and strategies. It will appeal to the young and young-at-heart gamer with its clever dialogue, fun storyline, cute cartoony avatars and a strategy-based puzzle game that will make you use your brain, rather than just your twitch reflexes. With a different theme and better beginning tutorials, this would have been a better game. If you can get past these basic issues, it’s still plenty of fun, and well worth your time.
BONUS: If you (or your kiddo) are a fan of the game, check out our separate post with a variety of Doodle Hex wallpapers!
Popularity: unranked [?]
