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Genre: Puzzle

Format: Download

Developer: Big Fish Games

Publisher: Big Fish Games

System Requirements: Mac OS X, 400MHz G3 processor, 128MB RAM

Review Computer: 2GHz 20" Intel Core Duo iMac, 1GB RAM, 256MB ATI Radeon X1600

Network Feature: No

Processor Compatibility: Universal

Price: $19.99

ESRB Rating: N/A

Availability: Out now

Demo: Play one hour for free

If I have to help one more scientist/explorer/professor—relative or not—free himself from the confines of a mystical book, I swear I'm going to punch someone in the face. Seriously, people, I work for a living. I have a family to take care of. I can't spend all of my time finding the red pages or gathering the magical runes or turning x number of matchstick triangles into y number of matchstick triangles by moving at least two matchsticks.

But, here we are again, solving the puzzles of Azada in an attempt to release some Titus fellow from the spell that has trapped him within the confines of the book. Pages from the book are missing, you see, and they can only be replaced by solving a series of brain teasers.

That's your premise, anyway. All you really need to concern yourself with from everything I've said above is "solving a series of brain teasers," as that's what Azada is; over 40 puzzles for you to work your way through. Some will be very familiar (perhaps too familiar), and those that aren't certainly will be by game's end. For although there may be over 40 puzzles in total, there are only around 10 to 15 in style.

Some of the puzzles are nothing more than your basic matching (find the identical butterflies) or memory (turn over the stamps to find the matching pair) games. Remember that old game where you had to jump pegs on a board to remove them until one remains (we always knew it as Hi-Q)? That's in here. So are a few other puzzlers you'll recall from extra credit questions on your math quizzes in high school, and there's even some sudoku. Each of these and others are presented as pages in a book, with about eight pages comprising a chapter. Finish the chapter in the alloted time and you your given a visual puzzle to put together. This puzzle will reveal one more piece in the photo of Titus in his library. Get them all, and you've freed Titus and won the game.

Now, how entertaining all of this is depends upon how well you like the puzzles. There are certainly some I could've done without, and many were so easy that I may as well have done without them...having finished them in under a minute. I should point out that if you're a serious puzzler—or beyond the age of ten—the time limit is relatively pointless. I can't recall once getting within twenty minutes of not completing a chapter in time. And as the game progresses, it doesn't really get any more difficult. Some puzzles do, such as the aforementioned Hi-Q (you first have to leave only four marbles on the board, then three, then two), and there's a Simon-style game that requires you to memorize longer color sequences as you get further along. Most, though, play exactly the same from start to finish. We'll call these the "filler" puzzles, because there are otherwise some really good ones throughout.

One of my favorites, for example involved a bunch of pieces of pipe that had to be turned in certain ways to complete a line from one source to another. When the pipes split off, those new lines would have to be closed off in order for the sequence to work. The first time I did this one, I'll admit that trial and error solved it for me. After that, though, I was able to visualize a path and make it work without much guessing.

The real meat of this game comes in the form of hidden object puzzles. At first, these seem similar to those Mystery Case Files games in which objects are hidden throughout various rooms, and you have to find them. In Azada, however, finding the objects is only the first part of the puzzle; you then have to figure out what to do with them. Some need to be combined with each other before they can work, while others need to be placed strategically in the room in order to gain access to other items or to directly solve the puzzle. And unlike in Mystery Case Files, you can't just click objects randomly until you figure out what happens next. Doing so will penalize you by deducting time from your limit. Instead, you're required to think about what you have in your inventory and what's available in the room, and then deduce how they can work together. This can sometimes be a bit difficult, but never random. Also, you're helped by glowing sparkles that shine around items with which you're allowed (and required) to interact. These were easily my favorite puzzles (and there were always a few per chapter), and I'd like to see just this portion expanded and eventually released as its own game.

If, for some reason, you do find yourself running out of time, you're given four chances to completely skip a puzzle. I never needed to use one for time purposes, but, during the last chapter, I did use two because I just didn't want to bother with certain puzzles again.

I should also raise a concern about Azada's length. If you get through the puzzles as quickly as I did, Azada is a game you can easily finish in one weekend. Perhaps even in one sitting if you have a few uninterrupted hours. And, because of its nature, there's little replay value. In that way, Azada really needs to be looked at as you would a jigsaw puzzle. You spend a weekend putting it together, then put it back in its box and maybe get it out a couple of years later to do again. With this game, though, I'm sure there'll be sequels to tackle instead.

The graphics in Azada are nicely detailed, with mainly muted colors and earth tones. The music works in concert with the graphics, creating a relaxing mood that's conducive to a quiet evening of puzzle solving. Cut scene animations are fairly brief, and the back-story (which is provided in written word form at the end of chapter) doesn't require so much reading that it kills the flow between puzzles.

The whole package comes together nicely to create a fairly unique puzzle-solving experience. The variety of puzzles will please most gamers, although the simplicity will not. And, as repetition does begin to set in, you may find yourself saying, "Not this one, again." On the other hand, when your favorite style does work its way back around, Azada can be a real joy. Here's hoping the sequel will give us more of those moments, with both a wider variety of puzzles and with a more difficult challenge.

That way, we can feel good about finally releasing Titus from his captivity. As it stand right now, if Titus couldn't get out of this one on his own, I have to wonder how he managed to work his way out of junior high.