Developer: Zoo Corporation
Publisher: Zoo Corporation, EastAsiaSoft
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Pretty Girls 2048 Strike – Review
Only a few months went by and we already have yet another Pretty Girls review in store for you. This time we’ll be taking a closer look at Pretty Girls 2048 Strike, which is a twist on the popular ‘2048’ slide puzzle game where you must combine number blocks to make sure you don’t run out of room on your playing field. This new title in the series adds yet another simple arcade puzzle game to the expansive list of Pretty Girls titles.
Story
There is absolutely no story to be found in Pretty Girls 2048 Strike. The game is all about the gameplay, and that’s just fine. Even though the theme of the Pretty Girls games would lend itself perfectly to some sort of narrative stringing events together, we didn’t really miss the absence of a story.
Graphics
Graphically, the game is pretty much the same as other titles in the series. On the sides of the screen, you’ll see two of the titular Pretty Girls, and they are basically there as eye candy. You could call the addition of the busty ladies a fancy framework for the small arcade game that is found in the middle of the screen. In this case, you’ll find the 2048 slide puzzle game in the center of the screen, with a few original elements thrown in the mix. The UI is clear and so are the hazards or other obstacles on the playing field. All in all, the overall design of the game is good, but everything is extremely static.
Sound
The sound design of 2048 Strike isn’t too bad. The game has a fairly upbeat soundtrack that does put you in the mood to play a proper arcade game. As always, the ladies make a few noises during the gameplay, ranging from uttering a few words and the occasional moaning sound. As our knowledge of the Japanese language is very limited, we once again had no idea what the chesty protagonists were talking about. Some subtitles or English voice options would be appreciated here.
Gameplay
Pretty Girls 2048 Strike is a simple arcade puzzle game that takes the foundation of the well-known 2048 slide puzzle game while also adding a few elements of its own. You’ll basically be playing through different stages in which you not only have to follow the principles of the 2048 game but also have to battle your opponents. In the core game, you’ll have to slide all the tiles on the field to one of the four directions available. When sliding everything on the field, if two blocks hit each other with the same numerical value they will be merged. This is important, as during each move a new block spawns. If you run out of room, it’s game over. In Pretty Girls 2048 Strike you’ll also have to defeat the enemies on the field. This is also done by moving around the tiles on the field, and when one of your numeric tiles hits the enemy, it will deal damage according to the tile’s value. Keep in mind, if all your blocks are already on the left side, you will not be able to slide everything to the left to keep dealing damage to an enemy, for example.
The game offers a mode where you just need to beat different levels and an endless mode. The latter will give you no points for playing, and thus you’ll have to complete the normal levels in order to buy new outfits for your girls. This aspect feels a bit simplistic, as you can just make dioramas with the girls and show them off in different outfits. With this umpteenth release in the franchise, we feel like the shtick is getting very lazy.
Conclusion
Pretty Girls 2048 Strike offers a fun gameplay loop and even though the Pretty Girls theme is still not fleshed out properly, we had quite a bit of fun with this one. We still find that this series could do more in terms of the overall design, but the developers in a way succeed by presenting players with fun and simple arcade games. That being said, this one does spice things up by adding a few extra elements to the traditional 2048 slide puzzle game, which is perhaps also one of the game’s biggest selling points.
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