GamesRelay

Name: Circles, Circles, Circles

Circles, Circles, Circles is a PlayStation Minis game from GameShastra, the second offering from the company on this platform, and, it has to be said we've never really come across a game like this before.

Circles, Circles, Circles is a maths based puzzle game; the idea being that you must capture a golden zero located in the centre of a larger circle. The larger circles each contain 4 circles located around the circumference at north, east, south and west positions. Each of these circles are coloured either blue or are golden themselves, to capture the golden zero you must transfer the blue circles around the golden zero making it yours. The maths comes into it with each of the smaller circles containing a numerical value; each of the larger circles can be rotated and thus moving the circles around, the overlapping numerical circle can be transferred to the larger circle by rotating it around, however, the group of circles with the largest value will destroy the other circles. For example, if you have a circle with a value of two, and you move it over a circle with a value of one, then the first circle (2) will win the place on the larger ring and can be moved again, the second circle (1) will be destroyed. You are declared victor if you either surround the golden zero with blue circles, or you eliminate all the golden circles. The circles can also contain power ups of sorts for the numbers, they'll add a value or subtract a value to the incoming circle, which is something you'll need to consider before making your move.

Suffice to say, it's not the easiest game concept to wrap your head around, though it does make some kind of sense eventually. It certainly doesn't help that the in game instructions aren't blisteringly clear and seem somewhat disjointed; we've no doubt the gameplay will attach itself to your conscious depending on your grasp of maths and familiarity with puzzle games but be warned of a few early games not making complete sense.

There is however plenty of replayability to be had in the game. Coming with 40 levels on three difficulties; Easy, Medium and Hard this brings the total to 120 levels to get through, on the later levels you'll find the puzzle gets more and more complicated with more gold zeros which you'll need to capture in order to progress.

The game itself is well presented; the menu screen is clear and concise and offers you a help menu, which, you're likely to use more than once while trying to understand the game. The graphics are basic but well defined, there's not an awful lot to the game aside from circles, but there well drawn and do their job well, the menu's themselves are equally as well drawn and simple to navigate. The music however is repetitive and will likely have you turning the volume down in no time at all, the main menu screen music repeats constantly and the in-game music, while trying to provide some kind of urgency, just sounds like a pong game gone wild, over and over again.

To control, you use the D-pad to control through the on-screen menus and while playing you'll be using the left and right shoulder buttons to rotate the circles - again, left or right, it's nice and simple and very easy to pick up.

Circles, Circles, Circles isn't for everyone, its main competitor in the PSP Minis range is Sudoku which is a game more well known, however Circles has a learning curve for you to understand exactly what you need to do and more often than not in your early experience with the game you'll find that things will happen and you won't understand how or why. If nothing else then this is a breath of fresh air to those tired and weary of the current puzzle games and looking for a more intellectual challenge. Is this game for you? If you like being puzzled by short games which you can pick-up and play and since there isn't much else on the PSP Minis store to compete other than Sudoku, then for the price, yes it is.

Written by:

Jazz