I had absolutely no idea what Meteos was when I read that it was next on the 1001 list. Developed by the folks behind Lumines, though, and also appearing on a handheld in the form of the Nintendo DS, it certainly might have something going for it.
It's another match-three kind of game, but with quite the unexpected added dimension to it.
Fun Times
Meteos is a little strange, it has to be said. I've no idea what these horned stick figures are, and can't really say for sure why the planet is being bombarded by coloured Meteos blocks. I guess that's all the plot we'll get for a puzzle game. How does it play differently?
Matching three coloured blocks is a concept we've probably understood from other games by now, but matching three blocks that then turn into rocket thrusters and launch their columns into the skies is new to me. Newer still is that these rockets are still interactable, and you can continue matching blocks within them to send them back out to space, clearing the field and giving you some space.
Understandably, if the screen fills up, THE WORLD ENDS! so try not to let that happen. Tutorial out of the way, let's get into a quick game of Meteos.
Frustrations
Despite some early launches, I was struggling to get my head around Meteos. All you do is drag one block up or down its column, any number of spaces, ideally to drop it into a line of three like colours, either horizontally or vertically. There's no side to side movement here, and I think that was what was catching me out.
If you don't relaunch a rocket, if that's the term, it will eventually fall back into the grid with a bunch of dead blocks, but so long as you can see blocks to move into place, you can keep launching into space. I wish I could see more opportunities to pull off such a move. I really was blanking while playing this game.
The 1001 list points out that Meteos makes for an interesting use of the stylus, but one that can be abused by cheaters, as scrubbing up and down the screen eventually results in blocks just happening to line up and launch off into space through sheer dumb luck. I didn't employ that tactic. I'd probably end up accidentally closing the emulator.
No, instead, I played like a regular old fool, and after five minutes of wondering just quite what was going on, annihilation struck and that was that.
Final Word
I don't feel the need to go back and improve. It's definitely a different take on the match-three genre, but it's not for me - unless I had my head screwed on straight, perhaps.
It's fine as a game. Multiple modes to keep you occupied, high scores to reach. But is it a must-play? For the novelty of launching blocks back up a grid? Maybe. For any other reason? I really can't think of any, no.
I've only played for five minutes, granted, but I think I've seen enough.
Fun Facts
Different planets have different gravity, so you'll have to be quicker on the swipes to relaunch your rockets.
Meteos, developed by Q Entertainment, first released in 2005.
Version played: Nintendo DS, 2005(?), via emulation.