Spot meow!
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of ‘Heathcliff: Spot On’ is really simple. Players are required to find the differences between the two images to win the level. The faster you do it, the more points you win.
Wait, that’s not all. Each level has a time limit, therefore, players are required to complete the level before the time limit runs out to avoid losing a life. The game gives you 3 lives and it’s game over if you lose them all.
You can also use different ‘power ups’ that can help you in a level but be careful because they are very limited. The first one will give you more time, the second one will show you one difference, the third one will search for all the differences and the last one will make the time stop.
To use them, or just watch how many lives, score or time you have to do the level, you only need to press “L” or “R”.
There are also little stars that will appear in a random location and time, and finding them will help you win a lot of points.
The controls of the game when using the stylus works very well.
If you lose a life, you will find something interesting: The differences to find are different. This is an excellent way to add more replay value to the game because if you want to memorize the level, and with that finish the level faster, this make that work harder. If you want to know, there are 120 different levels to play.
You can also find a mini game every ten levels that allows you to win more points. You only need to touch the mice with the stylus before they escape because they will run after a really short time.
For last time, you can start a new game in three different difficulties. It’s also possible to save the progress of your game to play later. Well, the continue system is kind of broken. Why? If you get a game over, you can start the last level again (of course, with the same points you had before starting that level and no lives) allowing you to continue playing the game, being an easy high score breaker or just an unlimited lives trick.
There’s also a paint mode, being able to draw things or the comic pages you unlocked. Nothing special but a nice feature for the kids playing this game.
GRAPHICS &Â SOUND
The graphics of ‘Heathcliff: Spot On’ are okay but you must remember that this is a DSi game and also, most of the game images are comics pages (with some editions for the differences). A better quality image would have been nicer but in overall the compression quality is good.
The soundtrack of the game is catchy but I would have wished for better instruments for the songs that were used in the game because they sound like a mobile game.
The presentation of the game is nice. There is a great tutorial explanation, the option to change to three languages (Spanish, French and English), the hand you use (left or right) and the main menu is easy to navigate.
The paint mini game is also a nice touch for kids but the game can also be for the general audience if they like the genre.
VERDICT: 70/100 (Good)
Heathcliff: Spot On has a lot of levels with variations, it works well and it’s excellent for kids and anyone else who like the genre.
