This Game Is Not For The Colour Blind Among Us

Matching Color is a game created by 222solar222

...Not that colour blindness is a bad thing, but you'd never be able to beat this game without 6 hours of trial and error (emphasis on error) and a very thick skull for bashing against the wall. Hi everyone, for this review I'll be looking at Matching Color, a PPG by 222solar222. Before we start, I should make clear that despite the game's title I will be spelling the word "colour" with a U, being firmly British. I shall also attempt to refrain from using colourful language throughout the review, a somewhat ironic statement considering the choice of game, but probably a relief to the moderators. That's enough wittering on from me, let's get to the review.

Pre-Thoughts

I first saw Matching Colour boosted on the Featured Games Page. When you look at the thumbnail, it doesn't give much away: a simple puzzle platformer layout, a few different shades of grey - not 50 - with a dash of colour here and there. No, you can't tell much about the game from the thumbnail. Being a fan of PPG games especially, however, I decided it may be worth checking out, so I gave it a go.

Gameplay

To pass you must move the player to collect the coin, but locked doors stand in your way. Every level revolves around the same concept: To open these doors you must examine the panel next to it and work out which colour matches the door's colour. A correct choice will open the door, but get one wrong and you're out! (The introduction provides an illustration of this.) There are also doors that must be opened with switches, and glowing red hazards. Personally, I think this is a bit of an ingenious concept, and importantly, 222solar222 never strays too far from it. While adding as much variety as possible, the main objective of the game is to match the colours.

Now we have to talk about the elephant in the room. Of course the first time you play a level you must rely on your own skill - or luck. But any subsequent attempts made give the player an advantage, because you are aware of one or more of the incorrect choices. I know this can't be helped, but it is rather irritating. However, does this detract much from the game? Not particularly - as I will address in the next section.

Level Design

The levels of Matching Colour are all very compact, made using the "Normal Size" screen in the PPG creator. Nevertheless, there is still a platforming aspect to the levels - especially the later ones - so although the overall focus is not entirely shifted from the colour matching, you get a puzzle platformer too. This also means that the elephant in the room gets some space to breathe (by which I mean that even though you may have the upper hand on guessing the colours, you'll still need a but of platforming skill to pass the level. This makes it not so important that you may know some colours from previous attempts.)

Scenery and Aesthetics

Big point: No graphics. All right, I lied, there are a few graphics in levels 8 and 9, where the game takes a twist by asking you to match the colour to a word. But aside from that, 222solar222 uses only the preset colours against a plain, grey background. A wise choice in my opinion, since this allows the selection of colours to stand out and the player to focus solely on them.

Enemies and Hazards

Two main points to address here: After a few levels a red block is introduced as a hazard - and placed in strategic places too, to maintain the need for platforming skill. However, the main hazard is always the risk of incorrectly guessing a colour, which results in an immediate loss. I like this, because (yet again) it keeps the game revolving around the central concept. Could there have been any other hazards? Perhaps. A moving red block, for example, as well as a stationary one. But to be honest, the playing field is so small that there really wouldn't be much room to experiment with them, and what we already have more than suffices. Personally, I feel that 222solar222 did a good job here.

Addictiveness and Difficulty

A mark of any decent PPG (or any creator, for that matter) is a steady increase in difficulty as the game progresses. Matching Colour certainly complies with this rule: At the start, colour doors only have three options to choose from, but then you go to four, then six (which involves selecting 2 colours for one door.) Finally you must use some general knowledge to find the correct word-colours, although I would have preferred to see more of these in the earlier levels. And in levels that include maybe 4, 5, 6 doors, getting one wrong just before the end can be really frustrating - and perfectly possible too; unless your eyesight is superhuman you are liable to make several mistakes, as I did. And yeah, it is rather addictive.

Ratings

Gameplay: 4/5

Level Design: 4/5

Scenery and Aesthetics: 5/5

Enemies and Hazards: 5/5

Addictiveness and Difficulty: 4/5

Total: 22/25 = 88%

Final Thoughts: This is a tricky concept to use, and 222solar222 has not only made it work, but fashioned it into a darn good PPG. If you're a fan of PPG's like I am, you might want to check out some of his other games. I'll leave the links in a post below the review.

Thank you for reading my review everyone! NOW GET BACK TO THAT HOMEWORK.