Sokoban 3D 1.0.1
Company: Quadratic Software
Shareware: $15.00
http://www.quadratic.com
Adam: I have seen old shareware games
taken and “enhanced” many times, but
sadly, many times the original game was better. Well, with Sokoban 3D, Quadratic Software has taken Sokoban (see Game Guys, Issue #24, April 1997) and made it not only better, but extremely enjoyable and fun to play. Now, Mike, what’s the story line for this game?
Mike: Adam, I’m surprised at you! Any good shareware game reviewer should know the story line of Sokoban! It’s famous.
Adam: I know, Mike, but for the readers that don’t know of Sokoban, don’t you think we should we should tell them how the story goes?
Mike: Of course, Adam. Good point. Sokoban is, of course, the famous game about a warehouse manager that has to move huge boxes around a warehouse onto predefined spots. The warehouse manager can only push the boxes (no pulling or picking up allowed!), and must be careful not to push the boxes up against a corner or position them in such a way that they can’t be moved. Sokoban 3D takes this familiar formula and puts it into a Quake-like first-person interface, and the result is a unique and challenging puzzle game.
Adam: Thanks, Mike. You always do that so well! Now, on to the game. Sokoban 3D is controlled with the 4 arrow keys, and you can set preferences for scrolling turns, a two-dimensional map, and sound.
Mike: Sokoban 3D’s simplistic controls are a relief, because you have enough to worry about without having to remember a slew of keyboard commands. Even though Sokoban 3D uses the same levels as many other Sokoban games out there, they all look wildly different in 3D. If you’ve ever gotten lost in the mazes of DOOM or Quake, you’re in for a challenge; making a false move or an ill-placed push is very easy. Luckily, a couple of options can aid you in your navigation: you can choose to view a map of the area which shows a top-down, two-dimensional view of the level, and there is also an undo option.
Adam: Sokoban 3D allows you to store players and their records, and includes the original 50 levels of Sokoban, as well as “Extra 35,” “IQ Carrier,” and “Still More!”.
Mike: Sokoban 3D is a fat binary, and runs briskly on a 68040. Performance is also acceptable on an ‘030, such as my accelerated LC. I didn’t try running the game with my accelerator card turned off, so I can’t report on how responsive the game runs on an ‘020. Sokoban 3D is very friendly towards those of you with older Macs.
Requirements/Availability
Sokoban 3D requires Mac OS 7.x, Color QuickDraw, 256 colors, and 1.5mb of RAM (3mb recommended).
You can download Sokoban 3D at the Quadratic Software home page, at http://www.quadratic.com
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The Summary
Mike: There’s not a whole lot more to say about this game; it’s Sokoban meets Quake, and that’s the most accurate description there is. My only complaint is that the depth perception of the game takes some getting used to – sometimes it’s nearly impossible to see whether taking a step will take you right up next to a box, or cause you to push the box. Other than that, Sokoban 3D is a unique and challenging game; one I’d highly recommend to puzzle game fans looking for something new.
Adam: I second Mike’s complaint on the depth perception, but the available map is very helpful and eases that problem a little. Other than that, there’s not much else you can say about Sokoban 3D that isn’t good. Recommended for any Mac game enthusiast. $15.00 is a very fair price for this high quality game.
Download Sokoban 3D 1.0.1
Mike Wallinga (mikew@mymac.com)
Adam Karneboge (webmaster@mymac.com)
Websites mentioned:
http://www.quadratic.com
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