If I’ve learned anything from my numerous hours playing Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night, it’s that just because something isn’t what you’re used to, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. Konami took a big gamble by delivering a puzzle game inside a Castlevania package. Boy, did that gamble pay off.
Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night has you playing as Alucard as you make your way through Dracula’s castle in order to destroy it. Your view for a good portion of the game is a map of the castle with a sprite of Alucard running around from room to room. Each room is accessed by touching a line that links to a following room. Certain rooms can only be accessed with certain abilities, unlocking doors, or a number of other ways.
As you travel from room to room, you run the risk of running into an enemy. When I say risk, I mean almost every room will end in a battle. When you run into an enemy, the background will flash red and the game will take you to the battle screen. The battle screen places both characters in the middle as they “fight.” Both sides of the game screen has each character’s playing field. Two gems will begin to drop, to which each player needs to navigate them to the desired location. Controlling the gems is as simple as swiping the screen. If you want to change the position of your gems, all you have to do is tap the screen, and the gem will rotate clockwise. As you match 3 or more of the same color, your opponent will take damage, as well as additional gems in their playing field. If you link combos, you’ll be able to deal more damage. The battle ends once either you or your opponent’s health reaches zero. Upon completing a battle, you’ll receive Experience Points (XP), money, and sometimes, an item. XP is collected, then when Alucard reaches a new level, you’re then able to apply upgrades to his stats.
As simple as the gameplay mechanics seem, there were instances during my time with the game that I would accidentally swipe downward, which forces your gems to fall as far down as possible. This slip of the finger happens quite often during play and can be quite frustrating. I believe Konami should have made this move to be executed by swiping two fingers downwards, which would cut down on accidental drops.
To be fair, you won’t ALWAYS come across enemies as you move from room to room. You’ll also come across a number of items which can be used either while navigating the map screen or during battle. Alucard will also come across a number of armor and weapons which can be equipped to help boost stats.
FINAL THOUGHT: Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night, even though not a traditional Castlevania game, is a great game nonetheless. Enemies get increasingly difficult, which requires much strategy towards the latter part of the game. If you don’t like puzzle games, you won’t enjoy this game. But if you do, then you owe it to yourself to download one of the best puzzle games currently on the iPhone.