The winner of the worst named video game is MouseCraft. Behind the awful pun MouseCraft is a technically strong puzzle game that sadly lacks sufficient charm to make it a great game.
Where MouseCraft succeeds is in its well executed simple gameplay and 80 well varied levels. The levels are well designed and vary nicely in terms of challenge and design. The gameplay is simple and easy toThe winner of the worst named video game is MouseCraft. Behind the awful pun MouseCraft is a technically strong puzzle game that sadly lacks sufficient charm to make it a great game.
Where MouseCraft succeeds is in its well executed simple gameplay and 80 well varied levels. The levels are well designed and vary nicely in terms of challenge and design. The gameplay is simple and easy to pick up. The game plays as a blend of lemmings with tetris blocks, it plays nicely but it does not feel fresh. In a lab you must guide 3 suicidal mice safely to the cheese by creating a path across the stage using a set collection of tetris blocks. In this journey there are optional crystals to collect to unlock further levels. Levels can be completed in a multiple of ways, however usually only one way will result in collecting all the crystals. Fast restarts and the ability to freeze time solidifies the experience.
The game is simple yet effective. As levels are short and can be beaten in a few minutes it can become an addictive experience blasting through multiple levels in a row. The difficult peaks at different points making the player really think about certain stages, offering the frustration you almost expect of a well designed puzzler. However the difficulty peaks appear to be random, around 3/4s of the game through, making the end appear too easy.
The greatest downfall of this game is that it is forgettable. The formula is too familiar and there re no twists. While blocks change in nature,some break, some explode, these are expected mechanics and nut surprises. From playing a few levels you have a clear idea where the game will go. That is not the exciting journey a gamer expects in this era of creativity.
MouseCraft lacks the required character and charm gamers have come to expect in this genre. The bar is high and the delivery is lacking. There was an attempt at a quirky story with the professor and the mice but it just falls flat and lacklustre. They should have cracked it up to 11 and played more on the ridiculous elements and given life to the lemming mice. Moreover the stage backgrounds are just cliche science lab scenery and lack any innovation. And with this the graphical style and music are forgettable.
Overall not that memorable a game but definitely a technically proficient puzzle game that will appeal to the puzzler for a few days before ultimately being forgotten.… Expand