One of the things about Puzzle Quest that always amazed me was that D3 managed to take gameplay that the average gamer would deem “casual” while turning up his nose, give it a twist, and suddenly make it somehow totally cool to play (and tell your friends how addicted you were). I don’t know how they did it, but it was remarkable.
Cradle of Rome is the latest title from D3 (adapted from the PC original), and it appears to also employ a sort of twist: you play the match three game in order to collect resources and build an empire consisting of over twenty historical monuments. It may not be an RPG hybrid, but I wonder if this take will attract more fans to a genre that we once thought was reserved for middle aged women bored at work.
The game boasts over 100 unique levels and also features bonus “tools” that you can unlock to give your game the edge. The game comes out November 18th exclusively for the Nintendo DS. If it can distract from me from Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, I have to admit I will be very impressed indeed.
D3PUBLISHER ANNOUNCES CRADLE OF ROME FOR NINTENDO DS™
LOS ANGELES—September 4, 2008— The Ancient Roman Empire will rise again when D3Publisher (D3P) brings the well known PC casual games brand Cradle of Rome to Nintendo DS™ this fall. Players will re-create the legendary city of old using a unique variation of the much loved Match-3 puzzle mechanic to build more than 20 masterpieces of the Ancient Roman architecture. More than 100 mind-bending levels, each with its own puzzle board design, will call for players to use a different strategy each time to build and conquer their way to become Emperor. Cradle of Rome is slated to ship to North American retail stores on November 18, 2008.
“Cradle of Rome offers the highly addictive puzzle gameplay that fans know and love. It’s easy to pick up and play making it a perfect fit for on-the-go gaming on Nintendo DS,” said Pete Andrew, vice president of product development, D3P. “Players can enjoy Cradle of Rome for a few minutes or for hours at a time and brush-up on Ancient Roman history while they’re at it.”
In Cradle of Rome, players can build more than 20 historical sites from 5 different eras of Ancient Roman architecture by gathering resources such as wood, tools, gold and more by matching rows of 3 or more on the puzzle board and obtaining as many as possible before the time runs out. The more resources players gather, the faster they can build the city from a lowly saw mill and progress to such historical monuments such as the Temple of Venus and eventually the mighty Coliseum. Multiple gameplay modes offer various degrees of difficulty and a vast array of bonus tools adds even more incentive to continue the game and eventually become Emperor.
Cradle of Rome has been developed by cerasus.media and is currently rated “E” (Everyone – Alcohol Reference) by the ESRB. For more information about Cradle of Rome for Nintendo DS, please visit www.d3publisher.com
