Download Star Wars: Pit Droids (Windows)

Take Off The Kid Gloves

When I opened the package for Star Wars: Pit Droids, I got a shock. No, not a real shock - although some people would say that would help me. Anyway, it was a shock because what I pulled out was the most boldly colored, childish-looking box I had ever held. I stood in amazement, because I really wasn't sure that this was the same game I had begged to review only a short week and a half earlier. I bemoaned my fate to Tim, Rich and everyone else who couldn't care less that I was not the unofficial "kiddy" gamer for GDR. Feeling that I had gotten the short end of that deal, I installed Pit Droids anyway, hoping that it wasn't as bad as I had thought. What did I find? Ahh, not so fast...

A "Thinking Man's" 'Droid?

Pit Droids is based on the "cute" little Pit Droids that made their first appearance as helpers to an evil trader in Star Wars: Episode I. Now, whether you liked that film or not, you will remember these guys. They were the clutsy, cute, gangly robots who seemingly did more harm that good. They were inserted into the storyline for what seemed like "comic relief" alongside everyone's favorite Jar Jar Binks. So why did Lucasarts Learning decide to make a game out of these little guys? Well, besides the fact that the Jawas smell and the little furry Ewoks didn't have a role in this movie? Well, I'm really not sure, and I'm not so sure it matters, as long it's good fun.

Your job in the game is to guide these 'Droids to a destination, or destinations, by giving them what I can only refer to as "waypoints". These waypoints, or direction arrows, determine the direction that your "Droids move. You navigate the 'droids, using these waypoints, through a maze or a series of obstacles, until they reach their objective. There are several different types of wayoints, including ones that only allow a limited number of 'droids to pass, ones that allow all 'droids to pass, and ones that allow only a certain color of droid to pass. As you can see, these waypoints are the real key to the game. The 'droids themselves are launched from a "'Droid Launcher" that regularly throws out another 'droid who blindly moves forward in the direction that it is thrown until it runs into an obstacle. You can have several different launchers going at the same time throwing 'droids of diferent colors in all sorts of different directions. When they cross each other's paths, they crash and are destroyed.

There's a fair few game rules to consider. If you let the 'droids continue in the direction they first started, they will either bump into something and stop, or bump into something and be destroyed, removing them from play. If they attempt to cross a barrier that will not open until a keypad is pressed, they are destroyed. If you attempt to pass one color 'droid through a barrier that will not allow that color to pass, they are destroyed. As can be seen there are a lot of variables that can be thrown into the game to test your wits. Why is the amount of 'droids left at the end so important? Well, score is directly based on the number of 'droids that you get to the exit or "goal" of the puzzle. The more 'droids you get to the exit, the higher your score. In some instances, if you don't get enough 'droids to the exit, you can't advance to the next stage.

There are three distinct portions of this game that need to be mentioned. The first portion is the "campaign" game. This is the full game of Pit Droids in which you must pass your 'droids through several different puzzle areas, each with a farily distinct type of puzzle. You work your way up from very easy puzzles that take only a few seconds to solve, to intermediate puzzles that require one or two tries, and finally to the expert puzzles that require real forethought and a few blind guesses. Your overall objective is to pass as many droids from one puzzle area to the next as you can, all the time trying to get the best score possible. Each puzzle area may require you to run through it 4 to 5 times or more, depending on how many 'droids make it through. Unfortunately, there is only one such main game, and while the actual puzzles may vary, the stages or objectives do not. This I would consider a "long term" negative, since it really does affect long term replay value. That is about as bad a negative as you'll see here.

The second type of game is the "Puzzle Chooser". In this section of the game, you can either choose a pre-made puzzle, or you can randomly create a puzzle to solve. The problem with this particular game type is that there is no carry over. This is a one shot deal for those who don't feel like playing through several levels to reach an end. You can think of this as the "Instant Action" portion of the game, where you just jump right in and start solving puzzles. The random puzzle section I found to be the most fun, since I never really knew what type of puzzles I was going to run up against. Some were simply diabolically hard to figure out. Others took me mere seconds.

The third, and final, type of game is the "Puzzle Creator". In this portion of the game, you can design your own puzzles to try out and even trade with friends. The problem I had here is that it is much easier to play out a puzzle and figure it out, than it is to design one. I found that I have almost no design talent when it comes to making decent puzzles, which is probably why that job I had creating crosswords never panned out. In any event, the option is there, which greatly enhances the longevity of the single puzzle missions. I did not, however, see any way to create the longer, "campaign" type puzzle trees. There is also the option, on the Lucasarts Learning website to trade these created puzzles with other players all around the world. Again, this adds nicely to the longevity of the single mission game variety.

I Wan't To Be A Star (Wars)!

So, you ask yourself, why isn't this an award winner? Well, two reasons: first off, our awards are really about special games that define and expand a genre. While Pit Droids is a great game, it is still a pretty standard puzzle game, with an obvious Star Wars bent to it. The second reason is that after about 15 to 20 games, I quickly tired of the novelty of the game. Now whether that was my own individual preferences with regard to game type, I'm not sure, however, I found myself saying how much "this puzzles looks so much like the puzzle I saw four games ago". Once you start comparing things, you soon realize that not a lot changes between the games. While there is some variation of background scenery, it all seems to revolve around the world setting for the desert planet in the movie. Also, while the color and obstacle combinations can, and are, quite open-ended, the game is not. That can quickly be traced back to the fact that this is a hex or squares-based game with a limited number of squares that are available. Some puzzles can be quite small, but I have yet to see anything larger than, say 40x40. Again, a minor niggle for a game that really has a lot going for it, but still one that can hurt "long term" enjoyment of the game.

Darth, Take That Silly Mask Off, Would You?

In the final analysis, I enjoyed this game. However, there are some real issues with long-term satisfaction. The game at first hit me like a brick - it was "hate at first sight". Then came the realization that there was a really good puzzle strategy game hidden underneath all the fluffy Star Wars stuff. Then it hit me that the game had a definite repetitive style of gameplay that really irked me after a while. All in all, you could say that I had a "crush" on Pit Droids that turned cooler the better I got to know it. While the game does say that it is for "ages 9+", don't think that you won't get caught up in it's easy style of play and then trapped by the incredibly hard puzzles. But Lemmings it isn't. Also, don't be afraid to stay up past your kids bedtime to "try out" that game you bought them. Just realize that they may be playing it long after you are.

Review By GamesDomain