Story:
The Punchuin doesn’t have much of a story other than being on a quest to discover the mystery of Punch Mountain. You’re tasked by a boxing glove to punch your way down through Punch Mountain to the treasure inside.
Gameplay:
The game is a mixture of puzzle games and platformers. You play as Punchuin and are tasked with matching blocks to clear the stage. You have to break blocks of ice and hit blocks to help make the matching sets. While breaking blocks you can collect coins that can be used to upgrade your abilities. There is an overworld map that has stages laid out and can be played in any order.
There are areas that are locked and you have to use gems to unlock them and be able to tackle the level that is unlocked. These unlocked levels can either be harder block-matching stages or puzzle stages that are a set of blocks you have to clear without any colored blocks being knocked off the stage or the stage will have to be replayed. Gems that are earned can be used to not only unlock previously mentioned stages but also to progress further down into the mountain or unlock abilities for purchase at the shop.
Graphics and Performance:
Featuring 2D HD sprites the game is very fast-paced and runs very well. The game doesn’t have any slow down with the animations and character sprites looking vibrant and pop on the screen. If the developers went with say a 3D art style or 3D game overall instead of it being completely 2D, I think that the game wouldn’t look and perform as well as it does.
Sound:
Music in the game has a very arcade feel to it that doesn’t feel repetitive and can stick with you for a while after you’ve put the game down. As you progress through the stages, the music changes just enough to keep it unique to each stage without compelling the player to mute the TV just to keep playing the game.
Conclusion:
Tetris and Wario’s Woods are some of my favorite puzzle games of which this game pays tribute to both very well. Shin en did an amazing job with this game, appealing to both puzzle game enthusiasts and casual gamers alike. I highly recommend checking this game out on your platform of choice.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided