Cradle of Rome | Nintendo DS | Puzzle | November 18th, 2008

The puzzle genre is probably the most difficult genre to break into with something new and innovative. Just how many puzzle games do we really need? The Nintendo DS is certainly the most viable option for small time developers looking to make a quick buck on the handheld. It’s rather easy to churn out a simple puzzle game that can be as boring as it is addictive. The genre eventually becomes stale to the point where no one past the casual gamer meter is going to touch any of them. Cradle of Rome has already seen one release on the PC about a year ago and this leaves you scratching your head as to why D3 Publisher decided to throw out this budget DS title.

There isn’t much to the touch screen-enabled design of the game. The three-match puzzle game doesn’t take much effort to complete. The game is set back in the time of the Roman Empire, you will need to complete each puzzle to build your empire. As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, it literally takes full effect with Cradle of Rome. These three-match puzzle games require you to match three jewel designs of the same type in a row to create a combo. To move on to the next level you are proposed to destroy each block until every one of them is gone. You are tasked with building the Roman Empire as you collect building units and food for your construction.

 

As you create matches with each type you build up resources like food, wood…etc. In between each level you can use what you’ve built up to buy farms, windmill houses and taverns to increase the commonwealth in your town. It’ll take quite a while for you to see your full empire built in succession, but of course if you stick with it, you’ll see the top screen continue to build itself up into the Roman Empire as we knew it.

So much like Bejeweled and other three-match puzzle games before it, you’re under the task of clearing blue tiles through your matching ability. You’ll run into obstacles like locked gems that won’t unlock until you match the corresponding gem. Also there is the fact that you’re under a time limit that adds to your bonus score at the end of the level.  There are various power-up items like a hammer that can be used to break the blue tiles for you to give you an edge. It’s hard to get into the game much because it lacks the depth that a lot of puzzle games like Puzzle Quest, for example, offer to keep you enticed in the game.

As a typical puzzle game it’s mostly centered into its 2D art. The game mostly sticks to drawings of various taverns and buildings that eventually build into cities and architecture. There isn’t much again beyond that and while it looks sharp on the bright DS dual screens, it remains static. The puzzle area itself is the generic layout you can expect if you’ve something like Jewel Quest before.

 

The electric techno-ish soundtrack doesn’t quite live up to the time period you are presented with. It would’ve been nice if you had something a little catchier that kept you interested in the time period you were playing in. It doesn’t fit the Roman theme and makes you believe you were heading towards a modern day Rome after so many sessions of the game.

There really isn’t much to take away from Cradle of Rome. I suppose the one thing you could say it has going for it is that it involves some sort of strategy. While playing, it ends up feeling like a real time strategy game, as if you’re playing it on the PC. The unit managing between levels is pretty simplistic of course, considering the computer does all the work for you. Still, Cradle of Rome manages to at least keep you in the game until you see the final stone set in for your Roman Empire. Outside of that you don’t notice anything particularly special about the game.

Cradle of Rome is a budget title that actually deserves a good rental on the first go-around. If you’re looking for something to waste time with, this might be your game, especially if you haven’t discovered all the other great puzzlers out there. This type of three-match puzzle title has been done many times before and Cradle of Rome is no different. This is one budget title that will surely make you scratch your head as to why you spent the 20 bucks in the first place. Shovelware might be a good idea in theory if you’re looking for a quick buck, but for the long term, it doesn’t quite stack up as a game that’ll keep you hooked.