10000000 Review
10000000 Review
Critics of the video game industry delight in exposing stale ideas. It’s a noble goal, I suppose, but when a game comes along that performs all the good old tricks correctly, it’s hard to be disappointed â€" especially if the price is right. 10000000, a new tile-matching, dungeon-crawling romp from EightyEight Games, walks a well-worn path. But the result is a reliable, crisp experience that feels more like a comfortable reunion than a thrilling new adventure.
Because 10000000 is a puzzler as well as a role-playing game, actions are performed by lining up at least three matching tiles, similar to what you’d find in Bejeweled. For example, aligning three swords prompts an attack, and matching three keys bypasses a lock. Your character runs to the right along the top of the screen, fighting diminutive foes and opening tiny treasure chests, and the further you make it, the higher your score, a la Canabalt. Earn 10000000 points and you’re free from the dungeon.
The game moves at a brisk pace reminiscent of twitch platformer, Super Meat Boy. Runs typically only last for around one minute, and downtime is almost nonexistent. Before you know it, you’re back in the game battling baddies and collecting gold, experience, and materials, and rewards can be spent on upgrades for your armor, shield, weapons, and more. Improvement comes quickly; a reason to keep playing is never more than five minutes away.
I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed 10000000 as much as I did. After all, it’s a game about grinding until several tiny numbers become bigger numbers. But as my cat rolling around with balled-up paper proves as I type these words, sometimes it's fine to enjoy the simple things.
The bottom line. 10000000 brings little new to the table, but the result is a fun, dependable experience that will appeal to high-score chasers.
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