From the review:
Players control a cube in the centre of the screen that's covered in colourful balls. An intuitive and precise interface employing only the mouse is used to rotate the cube in any direction so that players can ensure incoming balls land exactly where they want them to on the cube's surface.
The object of the game is to remove the coloured balls by creating groups of four of the same colour, typically (though not always) by shooting balls from the edge of the screen toward the cube. Make a group of four surrounding a different colour ball and it will become a fireball and shoot off the surface before gradually descending, giving the player time to reposition the cube so that it will land on like-colour balls, causing them to disappear. You can create massive, intensely satisfying chains in this way.
I found it a bit difficult to wrap my brain around the concept at first. One of the game's complicating factors is that loose balls roll around as you rotate the cube. Spin it fast enough (with a flick of your wrist) and these balls will actually fly off the edges before slowly returning to the surface as if pulled by light gravity. This can prove quite frustrating until you get a feel for the game.
Thankfully, I had that feel within about 20 minutes, at which point I couldn't pull myself away from the screen.
In celebration of Steam for Mac's launch, Valve has slashed prices on various titles compatible with both Windows and OS X. We've already mentioned a few of these deals in a post earlier this week, but to recap: Portal is free (no strings attached) until May 24, Torchlight is $9.99 (50% off), Steam Play Indie Pack is $19.99 (71% off), the Telltale Steam Play Pack is $29.99 (57% off), and Quantz is $3 (70% off).
Additionally, the digital distribution house has two PC-only titles, Tropico 3 and Shattered Horizon, marked down by 75% and 25%. The former runs $7.50 through the weekend and is a construction and management sim in which players stand as dictator of an island in the banana republic during the cold war. The latter, priced at $14.99, is a sci-fi multiplayer FPS with players engaging in space-based combat.
DIY: "What do you look for in your puzzle game? With the match-3 genre overcrowded as it is, those looking to create a title like Quantz certainly must keep this, along with a few other items, in mind.
The dilemma lies in bringing original components into the game while not disrupting the already tried-and-true addictive gameplay of the genre's best. While there's certainly more of a clear cut formula for success in the type, nowadays you need originality; something new to grab the audience's eye."
While GameCritics didn't warm up to Quantz, the reason has more to do with a personality clash between them than any fault of the game. It's unlike any puzzle game they've ever played-a huge accomplishment in a genre saturated with Tetris and Bejeweled clones. Although it was a little too different for them, they recommend it to anyone tired of the brick rain-jewel swap dynasty.
