Giveaway of the Day - The Rise of Atlantis

1. This is a nice little game that I have tried on a one-hour trial from BigFish Games. If you like Match-3 type games, you should like this one. Here is a link where you can watch a one-minute video of the game in action:

   http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/1466/riseofatlantis/index.html

   Comment by creamypretzel — April 6th, 2008 at 3:11 am
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2. The Rise of Atlantis was given away on New Years Eve last year and received a good 86% thumbs up out of 441 votes. You can read the 177 comments that were made by following the link below:

   http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/?s=The+rise+of+Atlantis&x=54&y=8

   It’s basically a match three or more game that is similar to Atlantis Quest, with similar game tiles and similar bonuses, thought there are enough differences to make it a worthwhile addition to your match three games library. I’d put it in the same playability range as Atlantis Quest, both of the Age of Japan games, The Cradle of Rome, The Secrets of Olympus, Heroes of Hellas, The Cradle of Persia and both of the Big Kahuna Reef games. This game has a similar addition to the latter two games in that you get a fish screensaver once you’ve completed the game, though the Big Kahuna Reef screensaver has more options though doesn’t include manta rays, sharks and dolphins in the species that you get with this screensaver.

   I originally only gave this a 6.5 out of 10, but that was based on only a few levels of play. I’ve played a lot more levels since and found that the game was worth more than what I’d originally given it as it almost gave me as much pleasure as Treasures of Montezuma, which is still in my opinion one of the best of this genre. The Rise of Atlantis is definitely a game I’d consider buying if I needed to, but I found that this particular game could be transferred between computers, which was a pleasant surprise. I’d now give this game 8 out of 10.

   You can see quite a few screenshots (link below) of ‘in game’ tips such as the use of the sun bonus, which is activated by creating several matches of four or more tiles. The bonus is not transferable between levels though so when you’ve collected enough multiple tile matches you should utilize this bonus which acts similar to the electro bonus in that a large number of random bricks are destroyed. When the sun bonus is activated the sun will glow for a few seconds telling you that it is ready for use. You can check on how near to completion the sun bonus is by either looking at it or clicking on it which will bring up a message telling you what percentage the sun bonus is to completion. The electro bonus destroys all bricks on the board of one type, which you can select when activating the bonus. Other bonuses include an extra life bonus, a time bonus, a tile shuffle bonus and a bomb bonus that destroys several tiles in the vicinity where you activate it. All these can be carried forwards to the next level. You also get locked tiles that require at least two passes at making sets of three or more to get rid of them. If you pause for a while you will be prompted by a yellow glow around a prospective match, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best to use.

   Each board set comes in a different shape, which become more complex as you progress through the levels of each stage. The screenshots also show the story line and the various menus, and level maps that can be found throughout the game. There are several stages to progress through, each with its own distinctive story and images, thought the tiles appear to remain the same there was a new tile added to the four that were present from the first stage. I am presuming that a new tile will be introduced at each stage to make the game a little harder to play, but this is just a thought as I’ve not quite finished the second stage yet. As you progress through each level you collect pieces of an artifact. At the end of each level you will be given the level statistics that include the number of tiles you’ve destroyed, the number of matches, the number of artifact pieces the time it took to complete the level the time bonus and the level score as well as a game tip. From here then you proceed to the level map.

   Each level gives you information about the Mediterranean civilizations that you visit. These include the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Carthage, Rome, Greece and Troy, You can replay any level that you wish to enable you to either improve your score or collect any of the bonus items you may have missed the first time, though if you managed to collect all of the bonus items on the first attempt, you wont get anymore and this won’t give you any new pieces of the artifact that you are collecting. Each time you replay a level the tiles are arranged randomly, which gives this game a lot of re-playability. If you run out of time (indicated by the gold bar under the playing field) you lose a life, though apart from the life bonus, which first appeared in level three of the second stage, Babylon you can also earn extra lives every time you earn 100 000 points. (Which works out about every second stage). On leaving the game your progress will be saved, though if you were in the middle of a level, the tiles are randomly placed on returning.

   Images – all on one page (over 50 images)

   http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/Whiterabbit_01/gaotd/The%20Rise%20of%20Atlantis/?start=all

   Images – as a slideshow

   http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/Whiterabbit_01/gaotd/The%20Rise%20of%20Atlantis/?albumview=slideshow

   Images – Googled

   http://search.msn.co.uk/images/results.aspx?q=The+Rise+of+Atlantis+game&go=&form=QBIR

   System Requirements

   Operating System………………….Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista
   CPU……………………………….500 MHz
   System Memory (RAM) ………… 128 MB
   Video Memory……………………32 MB
   DirectX 8.0 or higher;

   Conclusion

   In my opinion this is well worth downloading despite it’s similarity to loads of other match three games. The graphics are excellent and the bonuses and in game story line add to the playability of this game. They may even impart some interesting historical facts about these ancient civilizations.

   Thank you to the Giveaway project team and Playrix Entertainment for a marvelous game that is ideal for a rainy day or if you have several moments to spare, though I reckon if you get hooked you could be playing this for hours. :)

   Comment by Whiterabbit-uk — April 6th, 2008 at 3:20 am
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3. Nice graphics and storyline but same old join-3 game :(

   p.s. if anyone wants to see how the game will look like/how the gameplay will be without downloading the whole game then there is a online version of the game available on the official game site: http://www.playrix.com/online/rise-of-atlantis/

   Comment by Auger — April 6th, 2008 at 3:32 am
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