Shockwave
System: NES
Release Date: 1990
Developer: American Game Cartridges
Publisher: American Game Cartridges
Genre: Puzzle
Use a special gun to solve puzzles within the time limit in Shockwave! You’re stuck in space and the integrity of your space suit is starting to give out. Get to safety by collecting crystals to repower your suit and make it through 50 puzzle mazes.
You can see a portion of the stage at any given time. Strewn about will be yellowish bricks and pinkish crystals. Bricks are moved through use of the shockwave gun. This shoots into the brick from one direction and throws a pulse out all three other directions. The block at the end of the pulse will move if at all possible. Pushing the bricks in a way that opens your path and sets you up for further movement is the name of the game here. It’s certainly easy to get yourself in an unwinnable situation as the complexity of levels increase. If that happens, press select to forfeit a life and try again.
There are cracked blocks that break when you hit them. You sometimes want to keep these around to catch a moving block in the right position. There are doorways that teleport you from one spot on the level to another. Moving through these in the proper order can be the puzzle. There are forcefield squares that stop blocks, but not your gun. There can also be fireballs that will take one of your shields if you are hit by them.
I found some of these puzzles to be quite difficult because half of the level is obscured from you at all times. This especially created problems and urgency with the time limit counting down. Though when you finally finish a tough one, you do get a sense of relief. Hidden in the walls of some levels are warps that can send you ahead of any particularly tough challenges. I played long enough to get halfway through before I stopped enjoying the puzzles and needed to stop.
Graphics: 1.5
It looks like PC port graphics to me. Not terrible, but not nice or detailed in any way.
Sound: 2.0
I like the complex composition of the music, but not the instrumentation. Sound effects are average.
Gameplay: 2.5
Moving blocks with the shockwave gun works as intended. Unfortunately, there’s not much to the levels.
Difficulty: 3.0
Most of the levels I played seemed fair, except I was happy to find a warp on a couple of them. You also get a password to start up where you left off.
Fun Factor: 2.5
It was kind of enjoyable for a little while, but the enjoyment didn’t stick around for long.
Overall Rating: 2.3
Shockwave earns a C+. There is a place for games like these. They aren’t blockbusters that keep you coming back, but they have a purpose to entertain you for a bit.