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PSP | Puzzle | Puzzle Guzzle

Publisher: Agetec
Developer: Irem
Release Date: Q2 2008
Genre: Puzzle
Number of Players: 8
ESRB Rating: R/P
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6 screen shots

GRAPHICS: 3.50
SOUND: 4.00
CONTROL: 4.00
FUN FACTOR 4.25
AVG USER SCORE n/a
AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.3

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Review: Puzzle Guzzle

Review by Emily Balistrieri | 03/14/2008 | 11:35:47 AM PST

When I think "guzzle" I think indiscriminate drinking, quick and dirty, and that's sort of how I felt Puzzle Guzzle was playing, at first. Maybe I was enjoying it, but not because there was deep skill or strategy involved, just because it was there. I felt like you could almost pseudo-button mash your way through it without really thinking too terribly much, but it turned out that there are plenty of situations where the direction your rotate a piece makes the difference between a one chip erase and a huge haul. Then I became a puzzleholic.

The Bottle

Erase pieces by rotating them to make completed shapes out of the line designs. This is true whether they're dropping down ? la Tetris, forming a puzzle for you to solve, or stuffing a stage to the brim and in need of timely removal. So, the basic concept is similar to Gunpey, except you're making shapes instead of unbroken lines. Then they throw in pieces most often seen in attacks unleashed when you, your AI opponent, or your ad-hocking/game sharing friends clear shapes. "Carton" Pieces can only be erased by cutting them off completely. If you can catch one you kill them all, but they tend to form huge chunks that are difficult to dispatch. Gold Pieces work like Cartons, but are a different shape, while White Pieces disappear when the neighboring tile disappears and are easier to deal with.

The Booze

The most addicting part is challenging AI mascots to steal their attributes. "Attribute" is a dry word, but it becomes a lot more interesting when you're creating an avatar shaped like a shroom full of stars with sparkling eyes, a Tengu nose, and pointy teeth. Or you could be a teardrop with a rainbow parfait look sucking a pacifier. There are a hundred mascots to challenge and every time you defeat one what you steal is up to you, whether it be their voice, their hat, or their special attack move.

And No Hang Overs!

It's cute, fun, and for some extra whimsy it gives you a daily fortune reading as well. At twenty dollars, this game should be selling like crazy. The soundtrack will keep you grooving, and as the pieces furiously rotate a sound like percolating coffee massages your geometry-fried mind. Create your own puzzles, share with your friends, but do not be fooled by the outer layer of generic name fail--Puzzle Guzzle is chug-worthy.