Plot: What’s it about?
I know. You think you’ve seen and done it all when it comes to matching colored gems. But 4 Elements HD will prove you haven’t, with fun game play that injects much needed fresh blood into the genre. The concept is to match up colored gems, but not just for the sake of points or clearing a screen. In 4 Elements HD, you want to open up a path that makes travel between the start and finish possible. The fiction is that this allows a magical energy to reach a withered tree, which is then brought back to life and spreads nature’s bounty as a result. While the first few levels only ask you to carve out a path in a straight down fashion, the levels begin to get more complicated as you advance. This means you’ll have to keep several screens worth of paths in mind, in order to make your way through to the end. In all, over sixty levels can be traversed and you’ll have to work hard to finish out the lot, as 4 Elements HD offers quite a challenge.
This is not a simple “match 3” dynamic either, as you can twist your matches around corners, backtrack, and whatever else you choose, as long as the connection is there. This can lead to some epic moments where half the screen can vanish in an instant and the entire level is altered. While getting five or six in a row matched up is impressive in some games, the scope of potential clearing in 4 Elements HD is nearly limitless. So if you think ahead and line up your moves carefully, you will unleash some screen clearing matches that never fail to give you a rush. Of course, you are under the gun of a time limit, so don’t spend too much time planning, or you’ll fail the level. You have some power-ups at your disposal as well, which can be great perks in times of desperation. You earn these by filling up bars that are color matched with certain gem types. While all the power-ups are useful, you can focus on certain colors if you want specific ones. As you rack up your high scores, you can compare to your friends and the rest of the world, thanks to a well implemented leader board system. You can also use your Move, which is integrated well and is a viable control alternative. So in the end, 4 Elements HD manages to breathe new life into this genre and is a lot of fun to boot, so it earns a high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
The visuals here may appear simple at first glance, but there is a lot of detail in the images. The gem mechanic looks good and is implemented well, so you’ll never be confused by the visual design. The colorful gems are offset by a rather dark visual presence, which lifts somewhat as you liberate each level. While not bleeding edge in terms of graphics, 4 Elements HD still looks quite good.
Audio: How does it sound?
I found the audio to be passable, as it sounds pleasant and never gets in the way, but is also unremarkable. I was glad that the sound design bolsters the experience instead of distracting from it, however. The basics sound good and there are no errors to mention, so the level of polish is excellent. The music is terrific and is the stand out of the sound design elements. All in all, more than solid audio that is content to supplement the experience.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
