The classic NES puzzler Pipe Mania returns just in time for the 20th anniversary of the original release. Now boasting 5 different game modes with well over 250 puzzles to complete, Pipe Mania’s return promises to be one of the more improved rereleases this year. The key aspect of the game, flooze, is also changing as well with the introduction of multiple kinds of flooze.
Pipe Mania is a puzzle game where the player lays down a series of pipes to contain the flowing of a liquid, in this case flooze. The flooze itself continues to speed up the longer that it has been flowing, causing each puzzle to naturally become more and more complicated the longer that a player has been in it. This version of the game introduces a new concept, different kinds of flooze. This promises to change the series of original puzzles from the first game even more.
The developers of the game continue to stress the importance that every puzzle in the game remains completely solvable, the key to any puzzle of any kind. Because of this the puzzle pieces themselves will not be entirely randomly generated, as they have been in other attempts at this type of game play. Although there will be a minor amount of randomness to the generation of the pieces to change the puzzles from play through to play through all of the pieces that the player receives will always be able to form some kind of conclusion for that set puzzle.
Most interesting of all of the new additions to the game is a story mode where the player meets and plays against several different antagonists through the course of the game. Each one of these characters will throw out different series of puzzles for the player to sort through.
Pipe Mania promises to be a unique take on an old classic. With its release due out next month on multiple systems there seems to be no reason that everyone shouldn’t experience the puzzling frenzy included in competitive play and hundreds of puzzles.