From Emily Balistrieri's review:
"When I think 'guzzle' I think indiscriminate drinking, quick and dirty, and that's sort of how I felt Puzzle Guzzle was playing, at first. Maybe I was enjoying it, but not because there was deep skill or strategy involved, just because it was there. I felt like you could almost pseudo-button mash your way through it without really thinking too terribly much, but it turned out that there are plenty of situations where the direction your rotate a piece makes the difference between a one chip erase and a huge haul. Then I became a puzzleholic."
Though a bit square, this puzzle game fits nicely into any lazy day.
The Good
* Unique block-clearing mechanic
* A few interesting strategic elements
* Wacky character customization
* Eight people can play using one UMD.
The Bad
* Ubiquitous "stuff keeps falling" puzzle model
* A generally lackluster production
* Stuffit mode loses its luster pretty fast.
Not only is the overall presentation forgettable, it's relentlessly so; the blue and orange visuals and generic sound effects remain constant throughout the game. The least Games Radar could have hoped for is a little variety, like different color palettes as you progress through the game. Still, it's a great concept (and a good value at $20) that's fun in short bursts, just don't expect it to become your latest addiction.
You'll love:
- Simple, fresh take on block puzzles
- Three distinct modes offer variety
- Building your mascot is surprisingly fun
You'll hate:
- Overall lackluster presentation
- Annoying mascot voices
- Daily fortunes needlessly tacked on
Puzzle Guzzle is a surprisingly good puzzle game with a few flaws that hold it back from being great. While the concept holds strong, the game can become repetitive fast and doesn't always end with a logical finale. Hopefully with some modification to the formula they can make a sequel that solves some of these problems, but as of now this is likely a niche game at best.
