GENRE
	Puzzle
	DEVELOPER
	skip Ltd.
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	No
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Serene, calming and elegant hit the surface first when describing Art Style: AQUIA. Soothing blue bobbles fill the main screen, with a relaxing soundtrack tingling your ears. But underneath the presentation lies an addictive and downright challenging match-three type puzzle game.

visuals

Everything about the title revolves around an underwater theme, which is utilized perfectly. Multiple shades of blue contrast stylishly with black for a majority of the presentation.

During puzzles, a narrow column consumes the middle of both screens, occupied by a rainbow of square columns. Blues hug the pillar from both sides, and as a striking touch, grow darker through level progression. The only animation is a minute, white diver, who’s slowly swimming toward the ocean depths. However, success will unveil a pleasing animation of different sea creatures dashing through the waters.

audio

Bubbles gurgle along with dings and dinks – very old-school sounding – to comprise much of the aural presentation. Like many puzzlers, impending death or failure elevates the beat of a track, with a heavy pulse raising a player’s anxiety. Like the graphics, all very simple, but concise and well thought-out.

gameplay

At first glance, Art Style: AQUIA appears rather foreign and abstract. Basically, the various colored blocks cram the column, but there’s also a horizontal or vertical two-bit chunk on the outside. (There’s also a mode to squish a four-piece square block in.) Once plugged in via the A button, two displaced, other pieces erupt from the other side. Thus, it becomes a game of give-and-take, along with the main theme to fit three similar-shaded blocks either horizontally or vertically.

To add to the intensity, a diver plummets toward an underwater goal. Combos and matches must be created rapidly, as his or her oxygen tank will leak and begin to fill the screen with darkness. The black hovers downward in an unforgiving manner, too, making an ever-increasing slice of the puzzle impossible to see if it creeps on-screen. There will be three white-outlined boxes that appear within the darkness over time, however, and when melded together, restore tranquility. It is rather maddening that long combos and quick matches fail to thwart the shadow better.

The diver reaching the underwater goal is not the last step, though. Once successfully on the ocean floor, a new puzzle appears that forces the player to put a shape -- such as a circle or oval -- together. It adds a new kink to the system, as the challenge is significantly different from the match-three main mode. It can prove to be frustrating, but at the same time, adds a boss-like structure that ends up rather fun.

multiplayer

None.

overall

Art Style: AQUIA stands as a worthy successor to the Art Style series. An elegant underwater wrapping features a concise match-three puzzler with a few small twists. The package plays it simple, but with such a focused nature, nails almost every feature. The ruthless darkness proves frustrating, but also serves a welcome and refreshing role. This launch title hopefully signifies what’s to come from DSiWare.

8.5/10