by Matt Maerowitz

Created on: June 06, 2008   Last Updated: April 03, 2012

Game Review: 4/5

Arca Archa Scindo is an innovative mazing game. You control a two-by-two box and your goal is to reach a target location. Each stage is like a separate maze and you can unlock new and harder mazes by completing easier ones. You must navigate through blocks and other pathing modifiers that can make it difficult to finish the maze. Fortunately, you have the ability to split into smaller pieces which makes slipping through tight spaces possible.

The game also records how many moves it takes to complete each level which encourages you to try to beat your previous records. This is very beneficial considering the first time I completed one of the tougher mazes, I felt like I took more moves than I should have.

The coolest feature of this game lies in the level editor. The level editor allows you to customize your own maze, and in the editor, you may use all of the traps and tricks such as ice and conveyer belts that are used in the game. The level editor is especially fun to play around with for people who enjoy designing their own levels. The level editor is also cool if you want to challenge a friend to see if he or she can beat the level you designed.

The graphics are simple and two-dimensional, but what do you expect? After all, it is all about the maze. The techno music accompanies the game very nicely in its own upbeat fashion.

This game is great, and in a heartbeat, I would recommend this game for people who enjoy puzzles and mazes. This game is unique in that I honestly have never played or known of another mazing game that Arca Archa Scindo resembles. However, I am someone who gets frustrated easily, and I am not willing to take the time to figure out how to complete a difficult maze, which is required of me in some of the more challenging levels. I also believe that there are not enough features to the box that the player gets to control. I mean, sure it can split and move around, but it ends there. I know it is hard to successfully implement in a game like this, but I wish that the box could do a little bit more. Perhaps the box could pick up items in certain areas of the stages so that it could jump past or bash a certain barrier. Alternatively, the box could be equipped with something that could unfreeze ice or reverse the direction of a conveyer belt for a limited time, which would be pretty cool. However, the trial version of Arca Archa Scindo did not include anything of this nature. As a result, I am hesitant to purchase the game.

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