Take Colors and Shapes, soothing sounds, and a chock full of challenge, throw it all into a Nintendo eshop Puzzle Game, and you've got Color Zen from Developers Cypronia and Large Animal!
GAMEPLAY:
Color Zen is all about relaxation and challenge! Simply drag different colored shapes with the stylus to their alike pairs! You will have to fill the screen with specific colors to pass each level. This can get very tricky, but it adds to the overall challenge of the game. As you get further into the game, the level of difficulty ramps up very quickly! Although challenging, the gameplay is very addictive!
WII U CONTROLS:
The Controls are simple, yet at times they don't cooperate! There is a very noticeable delay when sliding the colored shapes around the gamepad screen. This delay puts a damper on trying to complete a puzzle in a speedy fashion, and also ends up hurling the colors in directions that you did not want them to go.
Another problem is getting to the menu screen! You are supposed to double tap the screen with the stylus to open it up. Yet many times the menu screen will not open up, and i found myself tapping over and over again in frustration, with no luck.
Perhaps the transition from a mobile game to a Wii U game caused these problems. Although i have never played the Mobile version of Color Zen, so i do not know if the controls are any better.
GAMEPAD:
The Gamepad is the only reason that this game was able to come to a home console! The touch screen is perfect for a game like Color Zen.
Here's one problem though, the games music only comes out of the Gamepad Speakers! This is a real let down, as the excellent music ends up being muffled by your surrounding environment, unless you wear headphones. The gamepad's volume only goes so loud. I don't understand why the developers couldn't have allowed the music to be emitted from the TV as well.
3DS VERSION:
The publisher did an outstanding job porting Color Zen over to the Nintendo 3DS! The game looks just as Sharp as the Wii U Version, and the sound is crisp! I've found the 3DS touchscreen to be more responsive when tapping to open up the main menu! But there is still a delay when moving around the colored objects with the stylus. I wish that this could be fixed with a patch!
Without the need for a TV to play this version, i have no other complaints!
CONTENT:
One feature which Color Zen excels at in every single way, is the extensive amount of content within the game!
With so many different challenging levels to complete, and different modes to explore, Color Zen will keep you playing for hours upon hours!
WII U GRAPHICS:
The visuals of Color Zen are eye popping and will fill you with bliss! The colors make the game what it is. Vibrant and full of life! Although the colors on the TV tend to look very dull, and will force you to adjust your TV's color settings. This is not too big of an issue though, as you will be watching the Gamepad more than the TV.
MUSIC:
Another Incredible feature of Color Zen is the ambient sounds of the game!! The music takes you into another world, and is one of the driving factors that keeps me coming back to play the game over and over again!!
The Verdict:
Although it has many faults on the Wii U, color zen still boasts colorful visuals, addictive gameplay, and soothing music! The game is a great addition to the Wii U eshop, but i would recommend playing it on the 3DS instead!
SHIGERU REVIEWS SCORE:
7.5/10 (Wii U)
9/10 (3DS)
Color Zen is Now Available in the Wii U and 3DS eshop for $3.99!
GAMEPLAY:
Color Zen is all about relaxation and challenge! Simply drag different colored shapes with the stylus to their alike pairs! You will have to fill the screen with specific colors to pass each level. This can get very tricky, but it adds to the overall challenge of the game. As you get further into the game, the level of difficulty ramps up very quickly! Although challenging, the gameplay is very addictive!
WII U CONTROLS:
The Controls are simple, yet at times they don't cooperate! There is a very noticeable delay when sliding the colored shapes around the gamepad screen. This delay puts a damper on trying to complete a puzzle in a speedy fashion, and also ends up hurling the colors in directions that you did not want them to go.
Another problem is getting to the menu screen! You are supposed to double tap the screen with the stylus to open it up. Yet many times the menu screen will not open up, and i found myself tapping over and over again in frustration, with no luck.
Perhaps the transition from a mobile game to a Wii U game caused these problems. Although i have never played the Mobile version of Color Zen, so i do not know if the controls are any better.
GAMEPAD:
The Gamepad is the only reason that this game was able to come to a home console! The touch screen is perfect for a game like Color Zen.
Here's one problem though, the games music only comes out of the Gamepad Speakers! This is a real let down, as the excellent music ends up being muffled by your surrounding environment, unless you wear headphones. The gamepad's volume only goes so loud. I don't understand why the developers couldn't have allowed the music to be emitted from the TV as well.
3DS VERSION:
The publisher did an outstanding job porting Color Zen over to the Nintendo 3DS! The game looks just as Sharp as the Wii U Version, and the sound is crisp! I've found the 3DS touchscreen to be more responsive when tapping to open up the main menu! But there is still a delay when moving around the colored objects with the stylus. I wish that this could be fixed with a patch!
Without the need for a TV to play this version, i have no other complaints!
CONTENT:
One feature which Color Zen excels at in every single way, is the extensive amount of content within the game!
With so many different challenging levels to complete, and different modes to explore, Color Zen will keep you playing for hours upon hours!
WII U GRAPHICS:
The visuals of Color Zen are eye popping and will fill you with bliss! The colors make the game what it is. Vibrant and full of life! Although the colors on the TV tend to look very dull, and will force you to adjust your TV's color settings. This is not too big of an issue though, as you will be watching the Gamepad more than the TV.
MUSIC:
Another Incredible feature of Color Zen is the ambient sounds of the game!! The music takes you into another world, and is one of the driving factors that keeps me coming back to play the game over and over again!!
The Verdict:
Although it has many faults on the Wii U, color zen still boasts colorful visuals, addictive gameplay, and soothing music! The game is a great addition to the Wii U eshop, but i would recommend playing it on the 3DS instead!
SHIGERU REVIEWS SCORE:
7.5/10 (Wii U)
9/10 (3DS)
Color Zen is Now Available in the Wii U and 3DS eshop for $3.99!