I know puzzle games are typically supposed to be all cute or shiny with colorful tiles and all that other vibrant crap that supposedly makes them appealing to girls, but it’s always a refreshing change when we get a puzzle game that looks more like an action game.

Mindfields 2204 is a brain-busting puzzle game where you essentially place tiles on a grid-based level to direct a tank through various perils in an attempt to capture the world’s most valued military targets…. FLAGS!!!!

The art in this game isn’t that impressive. The terrain looks like what Advance Wars may have looked like had it been an 8-bit NES game rather than a GBA game. The tank, mines and turrets are all rather plain as well, but I’ve seen plenty of games with way worse art. At least you can tell what everything is supposed to be.

The sound isn’t so bad… basic effects, nothing fancy. It only uses one looping music track. It’s a pretty subtle one and doesn’t make your ears bleed in any way.

It took me a little time to really get this gameplay down, but not so long that I gave up on it. Once I did figure it out I kept playing and playing until, before I knew it, I had beaten it.

Basically you play with the mouse and you drag tiles onto the map. When you are ready the tank will drive on it’s own in whatever direction it’s facing. If it hits a tile with an arrow, it will change direction. You also have tiles that trigger the cannons and force fields on the tank so you can get past the mines and laser turrets that are diligently guarding the precious flags.

The challenges of each level keep you thinking, and you feel REALLY good when you finally solve them.

The only gripe I really have with this game is the speed. It would be nice if the tank went a bit faster so you didn’t have to wait as long to find out of you screwed up or not.

I would really love to see a more polished version of this game, perhaps as a sequel. It’s a ton of fun, and it really could be a contender as a fully produced game.

[ Play Mindfields 2204 ]