But to be honest, as soon as I started playing the game "Zuma Legend", two words immediately popped into my mind: pay attention. You could say it looks like Zuma, it does have that flavor, the tension of a bunch of beads rolling forward and you hurriedly spitting out balls to fight with, veteran players can feel it with their eyes closed. But if you want to say that it is not innovative, then you would be wronging it.
I think back when we were playing old Zuma, we would have a normal ball, an explosive ball, a decelerating ball, and at most a reverse ball, which would be considered a top match. Now there are these special balls in "Legend of Zuma", they are colorful with lightning and flames. When the effect explodes, the whole screen is filled with light. As a presbyopic person like me, I almost thought I was watching a fireworks show🎆. There is also the skill upgrade system, how could I have dared to think about it before? Zuma relies purely on reaction and hand speed. If you can't beat it, you will be the best. Now that you are good, you can also save skills and make a comeback with one click at critical moments. It feels like playing an arcade with a plug-in, which is really cool.
Let's talk about the picture. Old players all know that Zuma used to be a simple one, with slippery beads, a stone statue or vines in the background, and it was done just by listening to a grunt. Now in "The Legend of Zuma", the animation special effects are made as if they are free. Every time a string of beads disappears, the light effect is crackling, and the particles of broken beads are trailing. When my daughter passed by and took a look, she said, "Dad, this game is really cool." Let's just say, if arcades had this kind of picture quality back then, I would have saved all my breakfast money to put in coins.
The same is true for map design. In old games, one path leads to the dark side, regardless of whether it is a stone bridge or a tree hole. The beads will follow that line. Nowadays, people have carefully designed the levels. The levels are winding and winding, and there are forks in some places. You have to think about where to hit first and where to hit later. You can't just spit out the ball blindly. You have to use your brain. The innovative levels really make it feel fresh even for an old person like me.
But what I want to praise most is the feel. Don't look at what I'm talking about. In fact, my hands can no longer keep up with my eyes. I can only turn on automatic aiming when playing barrage shooting. But "Legend of Zuma" is very easy to operate. The rhythm of the launch and the feedback of the ball's landing point are all adjusted very smoothly. I remember when I was playing Zuma on the keyboard, the beads would fly away as soon as I flicked the mouse. Now, I can hit wherever I point on the touch screen, and my 40-year-old fingers can also show off their streaks. 😎
This game is free, and you can play it for zero yuan. The developer is Nanjing Moxie Network Technology Co., Ltd. The name sounds quite ancient, but the things it makes are quite trendy. Let me tell you, among the so-called "Zuma-like" games on the market now, nine out of ten are just reskinned games to cheat you. Either your physical strength will be exhausted, or the advertisements will make you doubt your life. "Legend of Zuma" is kind on this point, saying 0 means 0. I have been playing these days, and I have never seen that disgusting level that "you can't pass without recharging money." The special balls and props are all earned by relying on skills to score points. It has that kind of flavor - the kind of pure arcade soul where you challenge repeatedly for high scores.
Of course that doesn't mean it's perfect. Compared with the minimalist style of old Zuma, some of the special effects are a bit dazzling. Old people like me occasionally get dazzled and have to squint to find where the black ball is hidden. In addition, the rolling speed of the beads seems to be a little faster than the old model, which makes the game full of tension. Players with heart disease should be careful. Haha.
But in general, if you are like me, wearing headphones and listening to Zuma's "GuluGulu" sound in the Internet cafe, holding your breath for those last few beads, then you must try this "The Legend of Zuma". It will remind you of that simpler era, and make you think, hey, it turns out that new games can have such an old flavor. It's like today I'm wearing my old sneakers from back then, but the insoles are new, so I can walk more vigorously. 👟
Okay, I'm going to go through two more levels. The patterned beads at the bottom of the level look like they are about to summon some kind of big boss. We can't lose to today's young people. A brother who was discussing this with me came downstairs to reply. I will reply after finishing this game. 😏