06-28-2006, 04:00 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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The Most Fun You Can Have in a Warehouse! - Resco's Sokoban reviewed
Product Category: Software (Game)
Manufacturer: Resco.net
Version: 1.12
Where to Buy: Handango
Price: $14.95 USD
System Requirements: Pocket PC, 2003, Windows Mobile 5.0
Pros:- Simple "pick up and play" concept;
- Interesting atmospheric music;
- Excellent visuals;
- Native VGA resolution (QVGA version also available).
Cons:- Music gets monotonous;
- Game difficulty ramps up very quickly;
- No hint system.
Summary:
Nothing delights us geeks any more than a classic game brought back to life. Resco does it with Sokoban, but does their tweak on an old favorite hold up?
Read on for the full review!
What The Heck is Sokoban, Anyway?
You may not know the name of it, but you've certainly played the game before. You play the role of a warehouse worker. Your job is to move crates around the warehouse by pushing them around obstacles and walls until the crates are in their designated resting place.
The rules are simple.
- You can only push a box, you cannot pull it;
- Every step you make counts as a move;
- You can undo a move, but it still counts as a move;
- You cannot move two boxes at the same time.
Over the years, many companies have remade Sokoban in one form or another, but for the most part they've kept the same formula. Very low end graphics, no sound effects, no music, etc. This decision is most likely an homage to the early 1980s when the game was actually invented.
How Does Resco Do?
There's no other word to describe how good this game is than excellent. Before I get too far into the details of why, I should note up front that I am a big fan of Sokoban. I even have a Yahoo! widget that keeps the game on my desktop at all times so I can randomly play a game or solve one of those stickler puzzles that tend to stump you.
That being said, Resco does this excellent classic puzzler justice.
The "Feel" of The Game.
Figure 1: The Main Menu.
The first screen you're presented with upon launching the game is the main menu, displayed in a fun warehouse format. From top to bottom:- Warehouse Entrance - Starts the game. You can choose a set of levels here, and you can retry previous levels (you'll find yourself doing this often to beat your old move totals for the level);
- Storage Rooms - Load levels created with the level editor;
- Changing Rooms - Allows you to change your character (initial installation includes a boy and girl character, but Resco offers a free expansion with a few more characters;
- Maintenance Rooms - Controls the configuration and lets you choose menu options;
- Information - History of Sokoban and gameplay instructions;
- Emergency Exit - Exit the game.
After selecting Warehouse Entrance, you're presented with a screen that lets you choose both the level set and the level you want to play. Upon choosing a level, you're brought to actual warehouse where you can start playing.
Figure 2: Inside the warehouse.
As you'll notice, Resco employed some really nice native VGA graphics, something I wish more developers would do. They're really clean and add an extra level of detail to the character and the boxes.
Resco also deviated from the standard "top down" view utilized in most Sokoban variants, and instead went with a 3/4 isometric view. It's an interesting angle to play the game from, but it does tend to make the controls feel a little "weird." The d-pad moves you up, down, left, or right. To push a box, simply get behind it and move in the direction you want to push it.
This brings up one of the first reasons I love the work Resco did on this game so much. The first few times I played the game, I really enjoyed it, but there was a minor annoyance that got more and more frustrating as the levels got harder and harder. Like most Windows Mobile handhelds, my Axim has an extremely sensitive d-pad. I noticed that there were many times I would press the directional arrow to move a box, and my character would move three or four squares, placing the box in an unmovable position and forcing me to undo and redo over and over again. When I was originally making my "mental notes" for this review, that was going to be a dealbreaker for me.
The night before I started this review, I started going through the options and making sure I was familiar with all of them, and found the best option ever inserted in a game that relies on the d-pad.
Figure 3: The options screen with the "single step movement" option checked.
The option of the bottom called "Single step movement" is a Godsend in this game. Basically, in order to make multiple movements, you have to make distinct multiple presses on the keypad. If the game detects that the "repeat" of the d-pad has taken over, it stops you in place.
While that sounds like a bit of a nag, it really isn't. In fact, the game would be utterly unplayable on just about every handheld I've ever owned without it. When I checked the option and went back to playing, the game became infinitely more playable and ejoyable. It struck me that Resco had actually play-tested this game quite a bit before releasing it to the public, something I often wonder about with many of the games I play on my handhelds.
Back to the gameplay.
I found it to be both intuitive and fun. I have played Sokoban in many forms before, so I can't vouch for how intuitive it is for someone who's never played the game before, but Resco does offer a free trial. I can't imagine anyone finding the concept too difficult to pick up and play, though. It's simple, straightforward, and overall it makes sense.
Since the game is played from an isometric viewpoint, Resco had the forethought to include an option to fade the boxes and make them semi-transparent. The nice part of this is that it makes the "walls" visible through the boxes so you can see whether or not you have a space to stand in around a box, or if you're up against a wall. Some levels don't require this option, but some of the later levels are utterly impossible without it on.
Figure 4: The boxes in the level with the translucency turned on.
Are There Any Downsides?
As with even the best games out there, there are always downsides. Sokoban has three very minor problems.
The first is the music. While it creates an excellent atmosphere, it's just too repetitive. A good option for the future would either be a music select option, or the ability to play a folder of mp3s in rotation or even play playlists out of Windows Media Player. Anything to break up the monotony. Even good music can get tiresome after awhile.
Figure 5: The level yours truly is hopelessly stuck on.
The second is the speed at which the difficulty in this game ramps up from easy to impossible. I'll readily admit I'm not the smartest guy ever, but I've been stuck on Level 10 of the second set of levels (the one that the screenshot above is from) for weeks to the point where I may give up on it altogether. I understand that game difficulty is part of what makes a game replayable, but this might be a bit too much too quickly. That brings us to a related third problem, which is that there's no hint system. I understand that this game is somewhat non-linear, but a hint system would be a blessing when you're about to jump out a window while struggling with a level.
I guess that's open to everyone's tastes (and brainpower!), honestly, so do play the demo before you take my word on it.
Worthy of Note
Resco.net, on its website, has made available 3 extra characters for the game, and according to Eduard Kirchner at Resco.net, more level graphics and characters will be made available from their website in coming weeks.
Bottom Line
I highly recommend anyone who spends a large amount of time with their handheld playing games give this game a try. It's addictive and challenging at the same time. The presentation is excellent and even though it's a tweak on a classic, it doesn't dismember it in the process, proving that some classics don't really need to be rethought and overly modified to stand up over the years.
Sokoban is one of the best games I've played on a Windows Mobile device, and even though this review is over, I'm still enjoying it. Now if you'll excuse me, I still have to try to get past Level 10!
Vincent Ferrari is a Systems Analyst for a Cellular Master Agent in New York City. He enjoys photography, music, and cycling, and is an avid early adopter.
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06-28-2006, 05:33 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 137
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Level 10
Hi, Vincent!
Great review! I enjoy Sokoban too and this one looks like it definitely gives a whole new perspective!
If you need help with Level 10, I think I've solved it! 
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06-28-2006, 05:36 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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Dude, you have to PM me with the solution. I'm STILL stuck!!! :lol:
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06-29-2006, 03:57 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 137
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Vincent, let me know if you got my message. I clicked on the PM button, but since you are the first one I've pm'd, I'm not sure if there is supposed to be some kind of setting on my account for the message to go through.
Administrator, if this post needs to be removed, please somehow make sure Vincent sees it first. Thanks!
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06-29-2006, 04:32 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 800
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Don't worry, your post is fine.
Nice review!!
P.S. Off-topic, Vincent, was it you who post the conversation with AOL's horrible support? It was quite entertaining listening to it... :lol:
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06-29-2006, 04:33 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 797
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Holy crap that conversation is just following me everywhere!
Yeah... It was me... :-)
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Linear Mode
