MSRP: $3.99
Platform: Windows
Release: 9/3/08
4 Elements is a casual game in which you have to make chains of colored tiles in order to break them and allow energy to flow through the game board to the altar at the end. It also contains some hidden object gameplay, as well as spot the difference scenes.
There’s the typical casual game story – all this matching you’re doing is saving the world, didn’t you know? But I highly doubt that anyone plays games of this kind for the story. What you do get is 64 levels of increasing difficulty, 16 find the difference levels, and thankfully, only four hidden object scenes. I love hidden object games, but I don’t think these levels are all that well done.
The levels are timed – as you play, the level in the meter on the right of the screen will decrease – if it manages to drain completely, you lose the level. This is actually quite a concern in later levels. Most levels are much larger than a single screen, and the view moves with the energy flow; it won’t be possible to make chains in areas that you’ve already broken through, which can make it very difficulty to charge power ups when you need them. But mostly, it’s a pretty relaxing experience.
Every four levels, you will have a spot the differences challenge that you must complete in order to move on. These are actually really well done – most are not glaringly obvious, nor are they nearly impossible to differentiate.
The Steam version previously had issues preventing it from working on later versions of Windows, but recent posts indicate the game has been patched to where this is no longer a problem. 4 Elements is not a complex game, but it’s a nice diversion for only four dollars.
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