The Final Word game review

Icebreaker -- Magnet Interactive Studios, Inc.

Salamander
At first I was intrigued by this unique blend of puzzle and shooter, but I soon realized this game is a little too much "shooter" and not enough "puzzle". In a seeming attempt to make the game more challenging, the pyramids change randomly between different phases -- some in which they can be shot, and some not. As the number of pyramids and bad guys increased, it quickly became apparent that the only reasonable strategy was to trap the bad guys and wait for the pyramids to make themselves a target. At this point the game rapidly degraded into a slow-paced shoot-em-up instead of a fast-paced puzzle. It I want to blast things, I want to blast a LOT of things NOW -- I don't want to wait for it and Icebreaker forced me to sit around a lot. Otherwise, this is a decent game. The graphics are pretty good, and so is the sound. Sound concept, but the level design needs serious help.

(10/95)