Welcome to another edition of For What it’s Worth, where bargain titles are examined to see if they are really worth your bottom dollar. Tonight we conclude puzzle month with one last game that is easy on the wallet and challenging to the mind. Hold on to your hats folks because this one is a real doosie.

Last year Electronic Arts released an experimental game, which combined both puzzle and platforming elements. It received much critical acclaim but it didn’t take very long for it to be a forgotten relic lost in the gaming landscape. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure for the Nintendo DS is quite a daring and fresh idea but is it really something that deserves a tip of the hat or a wag of the finger?

Story: Not a whole lot to say here. There is a plot but it is so incredibly simple and ludicrous that it won’t take very long to describe. The great explorer and adventurer, Professor Henry Hatsworth has stumbled upon a magical golden suit that is said to allow anyone who wears it to rule the world. Not because they are the smartest or the strongest but because they are so sharp and dapper when they are wearing it that people can’t help but be drawn in by their charisma. Anyway, after he discovers the suits golden hat, Hatsworth upsets the balance between our dimension and that of the Puzzle Realm. Now the only way he can close the portal to the Puzzle Realm is to collect all of the other suit pieces and use their collective energy to restore the balance between the two worlds ... makes sense to me. Actually the craziness of the storyline is a lot fun or as I like to say, delightfully bat shit.       

Graphics & Design: The game has a great cartoonish atmosphere in both level and character designs. Each character, whether they are within the main cast or the lowly grunts behind the enemy lines, are each brimming with their own unique personality and the level designs for both Hatsworth's world and the fabled puzzle realm each look more outlandish and exotic then the last. In an odd way the look of the game remind me of old 8-bit NES titles like Adventure Island, which is a truly wonderful thing. 

Sound: Wacky and wonderful. There is a wondrously weird meshing of musical styles within this soundtrack. You get everything from classical, to heavy metal and even surfer and opera, which makes for one epic musical score. Another interesting aspect of the soundtrack is the fact that the voice-over work is nothing but Gibberish. Other games have done this but not in an English dialect, which makes it that much better. Although for a man who looks like Teddy Rosevelt, Hatsworth doesn’t say bully once but that was only a very minor disappointment.

Gameplay: This is where the title’s uniqueness really shines. The gameplay features a really exceptional combination of platforming and puzzle solving. As Hatsworth navigates his way through the level on the top screen, puzzle blocks appear on the touch screen.  You arrange blocks of the same color in rows of three or more to gather energy for the puzzle meter. After you defeat an enemy they are transformed into a special block that can either a power up or a block containing extra power for the puzzle meter. You must remember to clear these special blocks before they reach the top of the screen or they rise again and attack you. Once the puzzle meter is full, you’ll get a Tea Time. As soon as you get a Tea Time, tap the tea cup on the touch screen and Hatsworth will hop inside his robot fighting suit, which will give him the ability to unleash some killer combo’s capable of wiping out a whole slew of enemies on screen. There are also special power up blocks, which can give you more time to clear the other blocks, give you extra health, and give you a special attack that can be used to perform combos. This and the ability to use the robot suit will come in handy later in the game when enemies will gather in far greater numbers. The difficulty is actually rather stiff. For a game that may seem rather kiddish in appearance, it actually has the level of difficulty you would see in old school platformers like Mega Man 2 and Kids Icurus, in the sense that it is easy to pick up and play, yet the levels can be difficult to master. Especially in moments where you have to overcome rather tricky obstacles, a barrage of enemies or an epic boss battle, where trying to switch back in forth between puzzle and platforming gameplay will require some fast reflexes and creative thinking. You can also collect jewels throughout each level and also receive a rather generous payday after completing them. You can use these little bits of treasure to pay for addition power-ups at Cole’s shop of puzzle realm related goods (the name of the store escapes me at this moment but it is something like that).             

Extra Features: There is one extra mode that can be unlocked after completing the game. Gentlemen Mode is a much harder version of the game that increases the number of enemies, as well as drastically shortening the amount of time you have to complete the puzzle, fewer power ups and the bosses are even stronger. Luckily you get to keep all of the upgrades you earned during the initial play through.

Replay Value: Well you have an incredibly addictive platformer with a surprising level of difficulty, as well as a game mode which increases the experience tenfold. This will certainly keep most gamers busy for at least a couple weeks. Those who love platformers will be likely to play through it again and again.  

Over All Value: Retail Price- $10 (new)

                              What it’s Worth-$35

This is definitely one of the most fun games I have played in a while. Solid gameplay, a surprising level of difficulty, Wonderfully wacky sense of humor and of course some of the most epic boss music in the history of time; make this a real hidden gem. I would go as far to say that it the most entertaining platformer this side of New Super Mario Bros. and the funniest game since Earthworm Jim. If you find this game in a grocery store or buried at the bottom of a bargain bin, I say whole heartedly, pick it up and give it a chance. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Well that concludes puzzle month. I hope you guys enjoyed reading these entries and continue to enjoy the series as we continue on with 2010, Because I have some neat stuff planned for the coming months. Including Free February, which will be dedicated to titles which are as cheap as they come.

Until next week, Happy Hunting!

By the way, feel free to comment and give me some feedback. Do you find that I’m too wordy with my review? Think my scoring system is too confusing? Do you like my reviews? Well then tell me in the comment section.