Art Style: Intersect (DigiDrive) (Nintendo DS) Review

Art Style: Intersect is one of those simplistic ideas that look so basic you wonder why nobody else thought of it first. The key here is that developer Q Games has hit upon a concept that is by no means a throw-away design; it is one that has you try a few times, cockily thinking it will be a walk in the park, then grabs you, keeping the gamer coming back for more as they realise the limitations of human hand-eye co-ordination when the stakes are high and pressure is mounting. The basic premise is lining up five of the same coloured cars in one particular area on a continued basis. However, despite the seemingly one-dimensional nature of Intersect, actually attempting to smoothly direct the flow of traffic when cars are zooming in from all sides is much harder than first thought, just as is the case with Firemint's air traffic control puzzler, Flight Control, which is also coming to DSiWare in the near future.

Upon starting a new game, you are faced with a standard cross-roads, where different coloured cars (black, white or red) travel along from any of the four directions. When a car arrives at the crossroads juncture, it is up to the player to decide which direction it should be sent down. This can either be done by pressing the appropriate direction on the D-Pad in 'Button Mode' or pressing the stylus against the chosen route in 'Touch Mode'. Both input methods work perfectly well, so it merely comes down to user preference when making the decision before jumping into the action, and they can be switched between during play in any case.

Driving the right coloured car down the same path five times in a row creates some fuel. Keep this process up for as long as possible and the fuel stock eventually changes shape from a triangle, through to a square that gradually fills up until it finally turns into a circle. Once fuel has been stored up, it is not a case of sitting back and relaxing, since some of it will start to trickle away if none of the same coloured cars are sent down that particular route for a while (indicated by the colour slowly fading along that path). If there are no more red cars coming, for instance, though, all is not lost. Normally, if you sent a white car down a red road, you would end up losing the fuel already built up altogether. However, if there is fuel present on another road at the same time, then a combo is pulled off, joining the two supply chains. Should there be fuel stored on more than one other road, though, the bonus is even greater, with one fuel supply being doubled and then combined with the two others.

The reason for having to collect so much fuel is to prevent a Spike from piercing the circular Core on the opposite screen to where the action takes place (it switches depending on if in Button or Touch Mode). Once a sufficient amount of fuel has been accrued, it can be ignited to launch the Core upwards and out of harm's way. Rather than make this a long and drawn out process, though, Q Games has included a nifty 'Overdrive' function, which kicks into action when fuel stock is collected on all four roads. Upon this happening, the speed at which the cars appear will vastly increase and it only takes one car of the right colour to fill up the fuel supply, rather than the usual five. Should you let something slip up the wrong passage (so to speak...) then the Overdrive mode ceases and normal play is resumed. Rinse and repeat the whole process and what you have is a game that will keep you hooked to your DSi for a good hour or so at a time.

As with the rest of the Art Style range, Intersect comes complete with simple-yet-effectively-stylish visuals. It also has futuristic, electronic synth beats that provide a laid back atmosphere that definitely proves to be an overall pleasantly funky soundtrack that relaxes the mind, preparing the player for the gruelling brain-aching shenanigans that are about to ensue. In terms of its value for the 500 Points tag it has been given, to add more incentive for coming back to Intersect in the long-term, more music and background visuals are available for unlocking as play goes on. If a player manages to beat the set scores, achieving specific medals along the way, not only will audio and visuals treats be offered up, but also a few more difficulty levels, encouraging gamers to keep playing and challenging themselves for months to come. However, if the Endless mode alone is not enough to satiate folk, there is an additional VS mode, where the aim is to fire the Core upwards towards the top of the screen, with various items and tactics available for two players (or you versus the computer) to try out in an effort to emerge victorious. There is certainly a lot to sink your teeth into for what is a nominal purchase fee!