Review: Totem
Totem – Puzzle & Trivia – 80 Points – Download
The last game I played with a native American theme was Custer’s Revenge on the Atari 2600. Totem is nothing like that game. Instead, it’s a matching puzzler, a genre made popular by games like Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest. In place of gems there are totem poles split into segments, each resting on a stone pedestal. As additional segments drop down from the top you need to match the pieces in order to destroy them. Game features include “tools” that can be used to destroy totem pole segments in various ways, and “elemental” bosses to be fought every seven levels. Destroying segments and pedestals earns you points, and I noticed a number of combos that seemed to rack up the points in a satisfying way.
If Totem has a unique selling point, it’s the degree to which segments may be moved around after they have dropped onto the pedestals. Segments can be moved around on the same totem, and can be moved onto adjacent totems if they are lower down. Unlike other matching games, there is no limit on how many moves you can do, although you are under time pressure as the segments continue to drop down. If a move results in a segment dropping onto a matching segment, they detonate right away, giving you the ability to clear out the totems in between drops.
I found the game a challenge even on Easy, partly due to the relatively sparse information provided on how to play the game. Two simple still screens do a reasonable job of explaining the basic mechanics, but provide no information on combos, tools and other subtleties of the game. It certainly doesn’t help that I’m terrible at these kind of games, but I felt like a little more information could have been provided. While the game design is good, and the art style consistent, the segments are not always easy to tell apart. I tried the game on Medium difficulty and had to admit defeat after only two levels, but that’s probably because I suck.
Only two things in this game caused me annoyance. The first was the music, which is a 30-second loop of drums and flutes. Repeated over and over again. It got old very very quickly. Thank goodness for custom playlists. The second is the save system. The game only saves after you finish a boss, which can take between twenty and thirty minutes (more if you suck, see above). I like to use Indie games as palate cleansers, playing them for a few minutes in between the shooting and killing and maiming I normally engage in online. The design of the save system means that Totem is not suitable for this, but this may not represent such a problem for most.
Totem is fast-paced and addictive and deeper than most games in the genre. It comes with two game modes, 28 levels and four bosses. Even including the niggles I mentioned above, this is a great game, worth many times the asking price (a mere 80 Microsoft Points). Totem has a professional feel all the way through, marking it out from most other Xbox Live Indie games, and I’ll be keeping a keen eye on games from Fervent Interactive in the future.
Totem is fast-paced and addictive and deeper than most games in the genre.
Themocracy
Great review, just bought it. The game rocks. I have to agree about the music though … it’s good … but not after hearing the damn thing 50 times in a row. And though I haven’t gotten far enough to save yet … that’s going to be an annoyance. But for a buck, it plays great, looks good and looks like it has the longevity for a game of this type. So the developer can thank you for the sale because I’ve completely ignored this game up until now.
Good one, it’s so hard working out with are the Indie games worth paying for, glad to be of service in a small way.
I’ve even started to figure out the little details regarding combos in the game. That first boss is f*cking bosses evil though. Was great watching him crumble into nothingness.
But I have a feeling the game is only going to get harder, because the difficulty ramped up pretty quick in that first stage, and I’m only playing it on easy until I get the hang of it.
I’m pretty sure I’m only ever going to play this game on easy, to be honest.
Nice review. I’ll have to go check it out.