Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles
Encyclopedia
Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles (or W&W) (Chinese 時空五行-風水大戰) is an Independent developed
commercial videogame developed by Yuan Works, a company based in Costa Rica
. It is a puzzle game
for the GP2X
and Sega Dreamcast
that combines strategy and action. As of January 31st, 2011, the game is freely available for Windows.
in the game: Wood
, Fire
, Earth
, Metal
and Water
. Also, there are two special blocks: Wind and Void. Both of these special blocks have special interaction with the rest of the blocks.
The basic strategy of the game is to rotate the blocks (elements) to match them in diamond shape (the same shape the cursor has). If these blocks have the same element
, then they will disappear from the board, granting the player points according to the number of matched blocks.
Matching is the basic move of the game. It consists in gathering four matching elements
in a diamond shape. This will make them disappear from the board. When blocks with the same element are adjacent they will disappear as well. This move is called a combo
. The player can perform a full combo matching all the same element blocks in the board. When a group of blocks are matched and disappear, the rest of the blocks in the board fall to fill the gaps those blocks left. A chain will occur if the player matches another group of blocks with these falling blocks.
The press is at the bottom of the board. It will start rising if the player doesn't achieve enough points, minimizing the board's available space. After playing a while, the game speed will increase, causing the press to rise faster. The goal of the game is to keep the press from reaching the top, while achieving as many points as possible with the special moves the game has.
s to benefit both beginners and advanced players. Each skill
presents different features, that will make them suitable for different kind of abilities.
Independent video game development
Independent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
commercial videogame developed by Yuan Works, a company based in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It is a puzzle game
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
for the GP2X
GP2X
The GP2X is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only....
and Sega Dreamcast
Sega Dreamcast
The is a 128-bit video game console which was released by Sega in late 1998 in Japan and from September 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube.Dreamcast sales were...
that combines strategy and action. As of January 31st, 2011, the game is freely available for Windows.
Gameplay
There are elementsFive elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....
in the game: Wood
Wood (classical element)
Tree , traditionally translated as Wood, is the growing of the matter, or the matter's growing stage. Tree is the first phase of Wu Xing. Tree is yang in character...
, Fire
Fire (classical element)
Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world.-Greek and Roman tradition:Fire...
, Earth
Earth (classical element)
Earth, home and origin of humanity, has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition.-European tradition:Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the...
, Metal
Metal (classical element)
Metal , is the decline of the matter, or the matter's decline stage. Metal is the fourth phase of Wu Xing. Metal is yin in character, its motion is inwards and its energy is contracting. It is associated with the Autumn, the west, old age, the planet Venus, the color white, dry weather, and the...
and Water
Water (classical element)
Water is one of the elements in ancient Greek philosophy, in the Asian Indian system Panchamahabhuta, and in the Chinese cosmological and physiological system Wu Xing...
. Also, there are two special blocks: Wind and Void. Both of these special blocks have special interaction with the rest of the blocks.
The basic strategy of the game is to rotate the blocks (elements) to match them in diamond shape (the same shape the cursor has). If these blocks have the same element
Five elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....
, then they will disappear from the board, granting the player points according to the number of matched blocks.
Matching is the basic move of the game. It consists in gathering four matching elements
Five elements (Chinese philosophy)
The Wu Xing, also known as the Five Phases, the Five Agents, the Five Movements, and the Five Steps/Stages, are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device, in many traditional Chinese fields....
in a diamond shape. This will make them disappear from the board. When blocks with the same element are adjacent they will disappear as well. This move is called a combo
Combo (computer and video games)
In video games, a combo is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The 1st combo was done in the Street Fighter II series. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon...
. The player can perform a full combo matching all the same element blocks in the board. When a group of blocks are matched and disappear, the rest of the blocks in the board fall to fill the gaps those blocks left. A chain will occur if the player matches another group of blocks with these falling blocks.
The press is at the bottom of the board. It will start rising if the player doesn't achieve enough points, minimizing the board's available space. After playing a while, the game speed will increase, causing the press to rise faster. The goal of the game is to keep the press from reaching the top, while achieving as many points as possible with the special moves the game has.
Skills
The game has three different skillSkill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
s to benefit both beginners and advanced players. Each skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
presents different features, that will make them suitable for different kind of abilities.
- Beginner Auto-Max (Automatic Maximum): This skillSkillA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
grants the beginner players special time when they achieve a special move. Any group of blocks the player matches during this time will grant the player more points than it usually would. - Advanced Time Combo-Ex (Extended): This skillSkillA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
is based on the comboCombo (computer and video games)In video games, a combo is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The 1st combo was done in the Street Fighter II series. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon...
ability, this means it will grant the player special combo time whenever a comboCombo (computer and video games)In video games, a combo is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The 1st combo was done in the Street Fighter II series. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon...
is performed. In this time, the player will gain more points for every special move achieved. This time can be extended by performing special moves. - Time Chain SP (Super Cancel): The third skillSkillA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
is special for expert W&W players. It grants the player special time for chains. The board freezes after a special move is performed for an amount of time depending on the difficulty of the move performed. This time will allow the player to rotate the blocks in a way they perform chains when they fall. If the player finds a chain before the time ends, the board can be dropped to add more time to the chain time and allow the player to use the spare time.
Critical Performance
The game was nominated as a Finalist for the Independent Games Festival Mobile 2008, and was invited to the GDC 2008. The game was also third place winner of the first GP2X Contest. The game was commercially released for the GP2X on August 24, 2007 as a download version. A Dreamcast version was released November 10, 2008 by the European publisher redspotgamesDevelopment
Dreamcast Demo was featured in the German Retro Magazine issue #8.Release Information
The GP2X version was released on August 24, 2007 where as the Dreamcast version was released over a year later on November 10, 2008See also
- Irides
- Independent video game developmentIndependent video game developmentIndependent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
- List of commercially released independently developed Dreamcast games