A New Kind of Puzzler

When I installed Talismania and played for the first time, I had certain expectations. I expected another mildly amusing yet run-of-the-mill puzzle game that involved matching either colors or objects. I was completely wrong on all accounts. Talismania is, without a doubt, one of the most inventive and unique puzzles games that I've seen. It boasts original gameplay mechanics, a fun, quirky story, and is a complete blast to play.

Alright, so I'm gushing. Allow me to tell you about Talismania. King Midas's famous golden touch has backfired on him, as he's turned his lovely daughter Marygold into, well, gold. The distraught king then turns to Olympian God Zeus for help in reversing this disastrous curse and saving his beloved daughter. Zeus's instructions are simple: Use magical talismans to earn money, and then spend that money on other people. He does this by traveling across the land, doing good deeds. This usually involves building something. This is where you come in.

A Quest From The Gods

You play Talismania until you fill a certain coin quota. Once you fill your quota, his workers get to work, building stuff. How good you performed in the round determines the quality of what they build.

Now I will explain the actual gameplay of Talismania. You are given a stack of stones with paths through them. There are two main stones, in the form of animals. You must connect a path between those two main stones. You can rotate all the stones to help create this path. The longer the path is when you connect it, the more coins you receive, filling your quota faster. Some levels have bonus stones that usually result in extra coins. To unlock these bonuses, you have to include these special stones in your path.

Depending how long your final path is, the next stage will be bronze, silver, or gold; also depicted by certain animals. The gold coins are worth the most and fill your quota faster. The silver coins are the next most valuable, followed by the bronze.

There is also a counter located at the bottom of the screen that counts how many rounds it takes you to get enough coins. Get the coins before the timer runs out and you will receive bonus coins, improving your score. On top of all this, you can earn a star with the completion of every round. If you fill up your star meter, you'll be given a bonus stage to earn coins.

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

There are still more features in Talismania that I didn't go into, but in the interest of fun, I'll let you discover those on your own. By just reading what I've explained here, you can see that this product is much deeper than your typical puzzler. It's an incredibly addicting little game, but unlike other products of the same genre, this gameplay somehow feels immensely rewarding. Maybe it's because of the funny, interesting storyline or just the satisfaction of seeing what the workers accomplished once you've kicked butt in a round or two. Either way, Talismania is definitely an experience that shouldn't be missed.