Sparkle

pro

Sparkle for PlayStation Vita is a match three game in the same vain as Zuma by PopCap. You can see the entire level on one screen and your goal is to match three (or more) orbs of the same color and shoot them into one or more moving chains of orbs that goes along set paths. These chains appear from one or more edges of the screen and if a chain of orbs reach the end hole it's game over.

pro

The Vita's touch screen works flawlessly as a control method to aim where you want to shoot an orb but you can also use the sticks if you want.

pro

As you finish checkpoints in the campaign mode you unlock magical amulets which grants you different kinds of powerups in the game. This serves as a fun way of mixing the gameplay up if you're stuck on a level. Power-ups includes going backwards, slowing down, getting better accuracy but also shooting different beams and bolts.

pro

There are 3 modes in the game, Quest (the main campaign), Challenge (time trial) and Survival and in the two latter you are able to acquire medals if you complete levels which is a fun way to reward the player and encourage them to keep trying.

pro

The level structure is probably the main reason why Sparkle is so addictive. You have to finish a set of levels in order to get to the next checkpoint and if you do you can start from there. Also there is no score on individual levels in Quest mode which is a nice change of pace from other match three games. If you manage to get to a checkpoint you are rewarded with an extra life which makes you want to keep trying.

con

Sparkle is a difficult game, even though it builds up the difficulty gradually you might get stuck on a level and think you will never beat it but that just makes it all the more satisfying when you finally do finish it. Despite playing for a long time and practicing the levels I wasn't able to get medals on some of them.

con

The game is fun and addictive but lacks in originality when it comes to gameplay mechanics.

con

The story consists of screens of text after each checkpoint in the campaign mode and while it is nice to follow along with a storyline as you play it is rather dull and predictable. You start in Crowberry Woods where a mysterious darkness suddenly covers the land and it is up to you to venture into said woods and collect magical runes in order to vanquish the darkness. Not very original to say the least but it's a small point for a game in this genre.

con

There are around 20 different level layouts in the game but the overall style and design is not very appealing or exciting.

con

When you progress further into the game some of the new colors that are introduced where hard to differentiate from each other and while it's great that you can turn on a color-blind mode with symbols on the orbs it was still hard to see at times.

con

The biggest con was the abstinence that kicked in when I finished the game, a sign of a great game!