A Touch of Diversity- Touchmaster 3 Review

When the original Touchmaster was released in 2007, its skillful collection of twenty-three card and puzzle games occupied the cartridge slot on my Nintendo DS for an extended duration. The title often became a staple on long commutes and the sporadic business trip. While I would have hoped the game’s sequel- 2008’s Touchmaster 2, would have offered as much enjoyment as the original title, it paled in comparison to its predecessor. While the follow-up added several arcade mini-games, none of them matched the finesse and playability of the diversion on the original cart.

One year later, the development team has regrouped, changed their name (from Phoenixsoft to Hijinx Studios), and generally got their groove back. Touchmaster 3 recaptures most of the first game’s puzzle game glory, while significantly improving the more action-oriented fare. While not all the title’s twenty divisions are triumphant, the ratio of hit to misses is strong enough to recommend Touchmaster 3 to players seeking a cartridge-full of variety.

Just like previous iterations of the title, players are asked to create a profile when playing the game for the first time, which is used to track in-game accomplishments. Obtaining all of the cartridge’s badges, and trophies certainly adds to the title’s longevity, and will keep completionists occupied for at least a ten hour duration. Unfortunately, the game’s lacks the daily, weekly, and everlasting leaderboards of the original Touchmaster, making the game feel a bit more isolated. Some might take solace in the game’s local multiplayer options, which offers competition with nearby DS owners, without requiring an additional cartridge.

Each of Touchmaster 3’s recreations are divided into five categories: cards, strategy, action, puzzle, and word games. Most of the card diversions are poker variants, while 9 Hole draws inspiration from solitaire. Target Royale tasks players with creating three, five card poker hands from a continuous pool of cards, while Stud Royale is a deviation with seven card, two down hands.

The cartridges strategic games are Touchmaster 3’s largest misstep- both Domino Run and Counterweight present challenges that deviate from the series comfortable challenge level. Fuse Line, a game that evokes arcade classic Qix, is just a reflex-based as it is tactical. While its inclusion in the strategy genre is perplexing, it’s an agreeable entry that offers enjoyment in short doses. Chef Memory embeds the Concentration-based memory game within a food recipe motif; like many of Touchmaster 3’s mini-games, its execution is assisted by a pinch of novelty.

One of my favorite mini-games was the simplistic Slime Assault, which asks players to halt a boundless stampede of anthropomorphic goop. On the bottom of the touchscreen are five bombs, which can be dropped on or thrown at unsuspecting enemies. After each level, the gamer’s arsenal can be upgraded to combat the mounting onslaught. Cannon Fire was also satisfying, recalling classic artillery games.