x-posted from OA
Sudoku Battle Action Zendoku EUR PSP-CHRONiChttp://www.zendokugame.com/Just got done playing a few rounds of this. With the success of Puzzle Quest, I've become very interested in these "casual quest" games, I think there is a niche market for them.
Compared to Puzzle Quest, Zendoku is stripped of what made Puzzle Quest so good -- the RPG aspect.
Battles take place on a Sudoku board, but you do not share it with your opponent. You have your own, and they have theirs, you just can't see it. Numbers have been replaced by symbols. Each character has their own little "story," which consists of a series of Sudoku battles. I'm only on the 4th battle, I dunno if there is an end boss. As you race to fill in the Sudoku board, your opponent will be doing the same. As you fit correct pieces in, your opponent's health slowly withers away. Fit in a wrong piece, and the game tells you that you fucked up, and sends across a heart to the opponent -- this places correct pieces on their board and gives them the upper hand. Your fuck up is their gain.
When you complete a row, column, or 3x3 grid, you send off an attack that stuns your opponent, giving you some time to fit more pieces in. However, your opponent can do the same. When you are hit, you are thrown into a Wario Ware mini-game with one word phrases like CUT, SLAM, PULL, and maybe others. You have to finish these quickly so you can jump back in the game.
There is local wi-fi, and you can share the game across portables, like how the DS does. Also included is a classic version of Sudoku, and other modes in the Zendoku mode. I've only toyed with the story, so I can't be more in-depth.
This game is also coming out for the DS, for anyone interested. For those with a PSP, you can pirate it at a low 50MBs.
I would suggest Puzzle Quest over this, but for fans of Sudoku, this is nice.
