Treasure Stack Review
Release date: March 1st 2019
Developer: PIXELAKES
Platforms: Switch (Reviewed), PC, XBL
Price: $20
Who doesn't like puzzle games? Treasure Stack takes the fun of Tetris and adds an interesting twist that reminded me of games like Bejeweled or Dr. Mario. PIXELAKES has made sure this game is addicting enough for players to keep them hooked.
The game has a few modes, online versus, 4 player local or the single player challenge mode. There is also a worldwide ranking system. The game has players selecting a pixelated hero who can jump, grapple, and climb stacks of blocks.
The blocks are in the form of treasure chests that the player can manipulate by stacking them, grappling them, and throwing them. The treasure chests have to be cleared with color coded keys. There are also bombs and anvils that can help with this too; these come in handy when the screen gets crowded. Once the screen fills up players are done. Bigger combos and lasting longer feeds into the players’ score and lets gamers unlock new characters and new grapples.
The biggest appeal of this game is the multiplayer. Games are easily found and the lag is nearly non-existent. There are three modes season, casual, and private. Casual is a nice friendly match, private is against your friends, and season mode pits players against other players to increase their ranking. While I didn't do great in multiplayer, I enjoyed what I played and I can see where the appeal is.
The game is fun and fast paced and I keep going back for more, but there are a few shortcomings The game’s solo options are the bare minimum. Players can play just to get a high score and hope to unlock more characters and additional grappling hooks. There is no story or way to customize this mode. I was hoping at the very least I would get to play against A.I. and pick levels of difficulty. While solo is a good warmup I really wish there was more to it.
The music and sound effects are also pretty limited. I was hoping Treasure Stack would be like Dr. Mario and music would hook me. I also wish the controls were tighter, when the screen gets filled fast with treasure chests I tended to make a few mistakes.
Overall Treasure Stack is not a bad game, but at $20 it might be best to wait for a sale unless this is the kind of genre you really need to play on your Switch, PC or Xbox One. Thanks to the developer for letting us review it.
Final score
Pros:
-A Tetris like puzzle game
-Easy to play
Cons:
-Not much for single player
-Hard to master