Coming
from the famed developers of Lumines, Every Extend Extra is a simple and
challenging arcade game that delivers classic style thrills enveloped with
stylish graphics propelled by a driving techno beat. Your objective is to
create massive chain reactions, destroy bosses and earn points and extends
to keep the game going. Look inside and find out why this great little
game that will keep you addicted and entranced for many hours.
Mixing elements of puzzles and shooters,
along with strategy games, Every Extend Extra is a unique and challenging
title that mixes several genres into an innovative and challenging title.
It's brilliance isn't immediately apparent, but once you get into EEE, it
gets a lot more interesting. The first few times you play Every Extend
Extra, you're probably bound to be at least a little bit confused by
what's going on in the screen. There's so much happening, its not
surprising to feel at least a little bit overwhelmed at first. However,
once you get the hang of things, EEE is a surprisingly simple and
enjoyable game that provides an addictive, challenging gameplay
experience. EEE's basic objective is to steer your craft through a space
until you reach a group of enemy objects, which can take a variety of
forms. When they approach, you can detonate an explosion, which creates a
blast radius where nearby objects also explode. Doing this creates
multi-hit chain reaction combos that earn you extra points. Mastering the
timing and strategy of these chains is the key difference between victory
and an early exit. Pushing the detonation button too soon means you'll
miss a potentially larger combo, while you can wait to long and watch the
enemies go out of range. You can charge or move the center of gravity of
your detonations using the L/R shift buttons, but the basic strategy
behind the timing isn't affected.
The
more objects that are detonated in a single shot, the larger the explosion
and subsequent burst of color. Creating these long strings of explosions
also adds to your multiplier, with the added benefit of clearing the
screen of potential obstacles. Destroying multiple enemy formations isn't
the hardest thing to do, but you need to time your detonations to create
the maximum effect, since you have a limited number of ships to use, which
are called stocks. The enemies cluster together in geometric formations,
which usually make it easier to defeat them, but there are some dangerous
ones that act as mines, so you have to be on the lookout in order to avoid
their attacks. There are also mini-bosses which appear from time to time
on the screen, and disposing of these increases your score and usually
causes more appealing power-ups to appear. Several types of enemies
release specific types of power-ups when destroyed, so you have to know
which ones to look out for when they appear on screen.
After you destroy a group of these
objects, they release bonus items which can include points, extra time,
quicken bonus items and more. You need to collect these power-ups by
moving over them on the screen but you need to be careful not to collide
with an opponent while you're doing this. Players can also use special
attacks to charge up their ship and release the explosion when enemies are
right on top of them. There are many different ways to lose the game, so
you have to be careful to avoid the enemies. Any contact with them not
only loses one of your craft, but inflicts a five second penalty on the
player, which can make a huge difference. Each time you detonate your
ship, you lose one of your stock, when this reaches zero, the game ends.
You are also under a strict time limit that makes you complete the level
in the allotted time, which adds to the challenge. Once you are done
completing the initial waves of enemies, you face off against a massive
boss creature, which takes a required number multi-hit combos to defeat.
Again, you have a limited number of craft and time to complete these
battles, so you have hurry.
When you have defeated all the waves and
the boss character of each level, you move onto the next, which usually
means a completely different look and feel, along with new music tracks to
drive you forward. Players can choose either the standard arcade version
of the game, which includes more levels and different skins, or play the
original game which is simpler but lacks the replay value of the main
game. Its single player mode is quite engaging and fun, but the real joy
of Every Extend comes in its multiplayer modes, including head-to-head
wireless play which is where the game really shines. Here, the gameplay
becomes more and more intense as you and a friend battle it out in
multiple screens and waves. As you progress through the game's levels,
you'll find that there are many skins and colors to unlock, and the game's
characters also change shape. This can be confusing at first, but once you
begin to recognize the different types of enemies by color, you'll have a
much easier time with EEE's later stages.
Every
Extend Extra is a unique title in many regards but, those who played
Lumines or its sequel will find many similarities between the two games in
terms of presentation and design. Both games emphasize simple play
mechanics that require a great deal of skill and reflexes to complete.
They are both throwbacks to the simpler styles of gaming that were more
prevalent in previous decades. The graphics mix simple 8-bit style icons
with psychedelic backdrops and bursts of color to create a brilliant
looking title that leaps off the screen. Every Extend Extra's stylish
presentation, with different skins available at the end of each level
lends a decidedly cool and sophisticated approach to the action/puzzle
genre. The design mixes high-techno and low-res polygons to create a game
that is simultaneously retro and futuristic. This makes for an
aesthetically pleasing game that's fun to look at and listen to, while
very much in the vein of Lumines, it seems to have a slightly more chaotic
feel. There's definitely a parallel rhythm between the action on screen
and the music, which makes the game flow together into a coherent feel.
Once you understand the rules and mechanics of Every Extend Extra, you'll
find a relatively straightforward and entertaining puzzle game that offers
challenging levels, engaging design and a great deal of freedom. While the
game might sound a little simple on the surface, it effectively melds
shooting and puzzle elements to create a memorable title. The challenging
play, appealing visuals, hip design and intuitive feel makes EEE one of
the more interesting casual titles on the PSP.
Grade: B
