Game of the Week 10,000,000

tenm10,000,000 or ten million is a combination endless runner, match three puzzle and roguelike RPG.  It’s odd and a bit brilliant. It’s available for iOS, Android and Steam.  It’s graphics are reminiscent of an early roguelike.  You could either call that inspired or ugly.  I wouldn’t argue with either.

The premise is very simple.  You wake up in a cell deep in a dungeon.  To unlock the exit, you have to score ten million points in a single run.  Don’t let your paltry first score scare you.  You’ll constantly be increasing your score multipliers.   Mine was somewhere over 120 when I escaped.  Your avatar starts running towards the right when you begin a new run.  He is stopped by doors, chests and monsters.  Doors and chests have locks that can be opened with keys.   Chests grant inventory items.  Monsters must be defeated with weapons or magic.

The real action happens on the puzzle grid below your runner.  You have to be constantly matching three.  You want to match swords or wands when facing monsters.  You match keys to open locks.  You match wood and stone to build up your resource stockpiles.  You match backpacks to gain inventory items.  Inventory items include single use attack items, keys and healing items.  These can be selected whenever you need them though you have limited slots to hold items.

Ideally you are constantly making progress to the right.  You match attack items as soon as you hit a monster. Kill it grab their gold and keep running.  You match keys as soon as you hit a lock.  You are matching resources and backpacks between obstacles.   You stop at obstacles and are pushed left by monster attacks.  The stronger the attack, the greater the knockback.  Once you are knocked back to the left edge of the screen your run is over.

Then you find yourself back at your cell.  Now you have some resources.  You can use your wood, stone and gold to upgrade the shops around your cell.  In the shops you can buy upgraded weapons, magic staves, potions, armor, etc.  Each upgrade makes you a little stronger, letting you run a little farther, scoring a little more.  The further you get in the dungeon and the higher you level, the tougher the monsters become.  So you are constantly balancing your equipment, dungeon level and potions.  Did I mention that potions always have a positive and negative effect?  This allows you to focus on what you need most.  So you might get extra gold and no experience or vice versa.

Of course, the puzzle board and monster appearance order are random, as are the items you stuff in your backpack.  It means each run feels different and you’re always making interesting choices.  At $2, this one is pretty much a no brainer if the subject matter interests you at all.  Highly Recommended.

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  1. […] was a recent game of the week.  Now, if you have an android device, Amazon is giving it away for free today only (5/22/13).  […]

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