10,000,000: Dragons and Bejewelled

Review by Covertmonkey

 

What is it?

10,000,000 is a recently released Indie title on steam with a silly name, the game is essentially the result of Bejewelled making love to a 1990′s RPG and somebody decided to sell it for $5 instead of burning it like the freak of nature it is. The game takes place in a castle, where you are trapped. Your objective being to achieve a score of 10000000 (creative naming am-i-right) in a single clear of the dungeons that the game offers, so you can escape this castle and be free. The dungeon game play features a section at the top of the screen, which shows the hero moving through the dungeon but instead of the player directly controlling the hero, the hero will automatically run into obstacles, which must be defeated by using the Bejewelled style interface.

 

As the hero encounters a chest, for instance the player must line up 3 or more key blocks to unlock the chest and allow the character to move on. Likewise, if the hero encounters a monster, the player must line up swords, or staves, to kill the monster and keep moving. The interface also contains stone and wood, which are necessary for upgrading building at your base, as well as loot satchels which can provide loot from the next chest or monster when killed, and shields which can be used to mitigate the damage done by monsters. The dungeons work as a timed event in the sense that you gain a small amount of time in the dungeon, by correctly lining up the bejewelled like pieces and lose time for getting hit by a monster or taking too long to unlock a chest or door.

Upon failing the player returns to the castle where;

1. Wood and stone can be used to unlock and upgrade buildings
2. Experience and  gold can be spent to improve the hero and his equipment to increase your chance at a high score in your next run
3. Check new objectives for the next dungeon run

 

 

Should I play it?

 

Yes because fast paced action grinding games are always fun, think of the time you spent on all those flash games and Pop-cap creations. After a time of playing it you’ll find yourself sitting there thinking “just one more dungeon, then I’ll go play a multiplayer game with my friends” BAMM it’s 4 hours later and you’ve successfully spent that time matching up blocks in delight. It isn’t something to be taken overly seriously, it is after all, based on the daddy of all casual games. Completing the quests and pushing for the 10000000 score is a lot of fun think Bejewelled with something interesting actually happening and a degree of urgency. There is some replay value in it, I’ve  personally cleared it twice since release, for a total of 20 hours of game-play, though in reality you won’t find yourself wanting to play this game more than once every few months. After a while, it does get a bit repetitive,

However, the upgrades do wonders to maintain interest. Once the apothecary, a place that allows you to activate potions, is unlocked there is some potential for customisation. The game ends at an appropriate time. By the time you have everything unlocked and you’ve turned on all the potions you require, the 10000000 score goal is more than readily obtainable for anybody with reasonable reflexes and intelligence.

Cons/Flaws/Things That May Annoy You

• There is no high score list, that I am aware, of so sharing with your friends and making them feel bad for being terrible is a slight challenge though still doable via screenshots
• Some of the dungeon objectives are a bit odd in that they require some quantity of luck to be practically obtained
• People will probably run out of  things to buy before they finish the game, which can be disheartening
• Could have been a flash game for the simplicity of it all
• The RNG(random number generator) mechanics of the game can get infuriating when you get a terrrrrrrrrible starting board for the 4^th, 5^th time in a row or end up facing a dragon right at the start of a run

Is it worth $5?

 

 If you like fast paced puzzle games it, sure is. In reality, it is a good time consumer— something to play on a day when servers are down for your game of choice or if you’re waiting for someone to come back (from being terrible, as I’m rather fond of saying). Assuming you get 10-11 hours out of your first play through, you’ll have roughly spent 50 cents per hours of game-play. Mass effect 3 is priced at 60 dollars and is an 18+ hour experience for most people on a first play through, equating to roughly $3.33 per hour of game play. While it has terrible graphics, and isn’t the most well made game in the world, it does still offer a cheaper fun  to dollars ratio than most of the AAA games we know and worship in this modern era of PC gaming.