Developer - Nintendo Publisher - Mitchell Features 1-2 Players Wireless DS Single-Card Download Play Wireless DS Multi-Card Play Anyone who is a puzzle gamer knows the well played and very much well downloaded Zuma. This game has been around for awhile and has a strange addictiveness to it, which would account for so many people playing it. It should be no surprise that a game just like this would eventually be released on the Nintendo DS. Magnetica, developed by Mitchell, is the DS's version of Zuma and it carries over much of the same addictiveness that made Zuma so much fun. Graphics Simplicity is one of the first things to cross my mind with thinking about the visuals in this game, but then again what would you expect for a game like this. There is not a whole lot to show in Magnetica except for various colored balls that wind their way through a track towards the center of the screen. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad looking game, but there is no need for it to really show off in terms of looks. The overall style is clean and straightforward and it helps to make the game what it is, an uncomplicated puzzle game. Sound Sound is not a major selling point for Magnetica but what it offers manages to the job. Something that really did manage to catch my ear was the sound of the balls hitting on another. The first thing I thought of when figuring out a real life comparison is that desk toy that has five or six ball bearings attached to strings and you pull one back and let them hit each other until the momentum has run out. This sound is perfectly carried over to the sounds of these colored balls on the DS screen hitting one another. Music is evident in the game and it is quite catchy. However should you do a marathon session you will find yourself turning down the volume on your DS as it can kind of get to you. Gameplay Anyone who has played Zuma in the past knows what they are getting into with Magnetica; however I am sure there are a few people who haven't had the chance to play it. Magnetica has you knocking out balls rolling on a track by shooting similar colored balls. These balls are also magnetic. You have to match a minimum of three balls before they will disappear. The balls rolling down the track actually form a string of different colors. Once you match three or more you can a start a chain where the remaining balls magnetically attract towards each other, and if the balls joining are a group of three or more that match, they too disappear. This is where some strategy comes into play and if you are quick enough you can plan out some pretty amazing chains where the whole train of colored balls just seems to disappear. Magnetica also offers various types of power-ups during gameplay. These range from time based (slow down or stop the train from advancing) to ones that eliminate all of the specific colored balls you attach it too. I found these power-ups of some assistance and when the right one comes as the right time it offered that much more satisfaction. There are three main single player modes to keep one busy and they are challenge mode, quest mode and puzzle mode. Challenge mode tasks the gamer to get through 99 levels in one sitting. It can be quite a daunting task as things get pretty crazy as you progress higher up. The Quest Mode offers 60 puzzles that have to be completed in order to access the next one. Each one is a different shape too, very different from the traditional spiral shape that you will be playing so much of. There are even ‘boss' stages as well. The Puzzle Mode offers different types of puzzles of varying challenge, many offering its own set of obstacles. The main goal is to use all the balls you have to shoot while eliminating those balls that already exist on the track. This mode had me hooked the most and it could be quite a test of my puzzle skills as I struggled to solve some pretty difficult combinations of balls. There is also a multiplayer mode simply entitled Versus Mode. A bonus to this is that you only need one cartridge to play as Magnetica supports the single-card download option, or the multi-card play. Play is very similar to the single player as you have to stop your train of balls from getting to the center of your screen. Power-ups also make their way into the game as well, but they are different then your usual types (e.g. black holes) found in single play. Mitchell has also enabled gamers to use the microphone in multiplayer as one of the power-ups that your opponent may use against you causes a cloud to cover your screen and you have to blow onto your DS to clear it in order to allow you to see your game again. One of the main changes in multi versus multiplayer is that chains (combos) will now send dummy balls onto your opponents screen speeding up their train of balls to impending doom in the center of the screen. I found that all the modes in Magnetica provided for many hours of fun, just not all at once. For those that have not played the game this will be a brand new experience for them and they may get more out of it. For anyone that has played Zuma, or any Zuma-like game, this game is perfect for short play periods while on the run. I for one have not played a lot of Zuma in the past, so I fall in between these two views. I found that I could play for relatively medium to long periods, or I would turn to it for those times when I just needed a quick break from the mundane and real world. Regardless how one experiences this game, it should cater to all levels and styles of gaming individuals out there. Conclusion Overall I would say the Magnetica is a nice addition to the world of the DS. With gameplay that is tried and true how can one go wrong? For those who have lots of playtime with Zuma, or a Zuma-like game in the past, you may want to wait for a price break on this game as you have played it before. For those new to this style of game, welcome and enjoy your time with it.