Zuma's Revenge (XBLA): "Amphibious Retribution PopCap Style"

When it comes down to delivering quality, and family friendly arcade style games no one quite does it like PopCap Games. Over the years I have spent countless hours with my parents, and siblings playing PopCap titles on the family PC. We have enjoyed a variety of different titles from the PopCap universe including games from the Bejeweled series, Plants vs Zombies, the Bookworm series, and even the Zuma series. My family will no doubt continue this trend as more games are released. In retrospect PopCap games have been a huge part of my gaming history. They are one of the few types of games that I will actually play on the PC, and are about the only types of games that my basic computer can handle. With that being said I'm definitely glad that the developer/s of these titles have brought them to gaming consoles such as the Xbox 360. While they were great on the PC, they are many times better on the Xbox 360.

Zuma's Revenge is one of the spin-off titles of the original Zuma game. As with other PopCap game series this continuation brings to light new features that the previous installments didn't have. When Zuma's Revenge begins it opens up with a CG intro done in next-gen quality. This mini-cinematic feature gives the gamer a sneak peek of the gorgeous visuals, and enhanced audio that accent each and every part of the game. From the start menu you will immediately notice that there are four modes of gameplay available, but that only one is initially unlocked. This gameplay presentation stays true to the PopCap Games formula of making the player work for the good stuff.

The only mode you can access when you first begin your gaming adventure is actually "Adventure" mode. This mode plays out in a semi-storyline fashion pitting you (The Zuma Frog) against tribal bosses in a level by level playthrough. The focus of these levels revolve around track, and marble style arcade objectives that end in boss battles. As the player you control a totem/tribal frog that is set amongst a winding, and curvy track where lines of multi-color marbles continuously advance toward a tribal face at the end of the track. The aim of the game is to shoot matching marbles from the frog's mouth matching them up with groups of three or more marbles of the same color. Doing this will destroy the marbles, and halt the progress of the ever-winding line.

Aside from those basic objectives the game does get a little more involved as you make progress. You'll be introduced to things such as power-ups in the form of marbles that alter the way the game is played. Some power-ups will clear an entire color, while power-ups such as the "reverse" will aid in stopping the unrelenting barrage of balls. Something that's new to the Zuma series is the introduction of four 'Spirit Animals'. These animals (Monkey, Cheetah, Rabbit ...) enhance certain effects of the game. The 'spirit Monkey' for example effects how often the bonus fruit appears, and how many points each fruit is worth. You can upgrade the Spirit Animal's abilities with the medals you earn from completing certain objectives within a level (Level Complete, Spirit Score, Spirit Time).

A newer addition to the Zuma games (Zuma's Revenge) is the "Weekly Challenge". This particular leaderboard based mode is unlocked through 'Adventure' gameplay. As the title of the mode suggests this mode is an interactive game mode where you try to best your friends' highscores on a weekly basis. The levels change each week giving the player a new opportunity to come out on top. Even the highscores are reset each week making the challenge a fresh experience each, and every time.

Continuing with the new, the 'Iron Frog' mode is also a new mode that will put a player's skills to the test. As with the 'Weekly challenge' this mode is also unlockable via the 'Adventure' mode. In this mode the player is presented with 10 difficult levels that are played out one right after the other. You are only given one opportunity to do the playthrough, and if you fail it's "Game Over". Your score will be recorded on a separate leaderboard displaying your score along with the last level you beat. It's a hardcore mode that will definitely test your reflexes, and Zuma skills.

Last, but definitely not least is 'Boss Rush'. What boss oriented game would be complete without such a mode? In this unlockable mode you will be put up against each boss that you encountered within 'Adventure' mode. The boss battles not only require the knowledge of how Zuma's Revenge plays, but also strategies that are boss specific. By the time you do your playthrough of 'Adventure' mode, and unlock 'Boss Rush' you'll be well prepared for the tasks at hand. While this mode offers a chance to fight only the bosses it's likely the least impressive of all the game's features. With that being said it's not all that bad either.

In closing I think PopCap Games did a superb job of bringing this title to the XBLA platform. The graphics are very impressive as are the audio sounds/effects. The fact that the developer included more than just offline features makes this game worth revisiting time, and time again. As with any score based game the players who enjoy besting each other's sores will likely enjoy what Zuma's Revenge has to offer. The one thing that really stood out to me above all the rest was the "Weekly challenge". Being able to continually shoot for highscores on a weekly basis gives this game added replay value. Aside from that the possible future DLC has definitely peaked my interest. I can't wait to see what PopCap games has to offer as downloadable content. As far as recommending Zuma's Revenge goes, it's definitely worth the 800msp. Here's to hoping they bring Bookworm Adventures to the Xbox 360.