Sega Swirl for Dreamcast/PC Review

The Gameplay

Sega Swirl is a puzzle game with mega-addicting qualities. Like any good puzzle game, it sucks you in with it’s simplicity and keeps you play because it is never the same game twice. And you always have to have the high score.

Here’s how it goes. You have to align swirls (that look like the Dreamcast logo) of the same color to create combos. The swirls can go horizontally or vertical. You can chain together a massive amount of swirls if possible, which scores you major points. If you’re stuck, you can remove single swirls, but you are penalized. Sometimes you have to do this in order to get a large group together.

You can play by yourself or with four friends in turn-based or real-time battles. Also, what made Sega Swirl unique was that you could play by e-mail. You make your move and the move was sent through e-mail (with proper annotation) and you’d make your move on your end and so on. Sort of like E-mail chess.

The different modes are Level, Level Challenge, and practice modes. Versus mode is where the fun is. You are assigned a color and the object is to clear you screen of your color while attaining the highest points. Swirls of your own color are worth twice as much both positive (clearing combos) and negative (removing only one). When you’re color is gone, you are knocked out. When everyone is out, the top scorer wins.

Split-screen versus is real-time. There is a base score that everyone is trying to reach. The first person to hit that score wins. The score could range anywhere from 3,000 to 25,000. Once all the swirls of your color is gone, the rest of the swirls are removed and another board appears.

Why the Game is Addicting

It’s simple and you can play it over and over again. You can create a strategy in one game, and it doesn’t work in the next game. You can be the fastest person to clear rows and columns, but you never win against a player slow and methodical. Multiplayer is fast and nerve-wrecking. Just about everything that makes video games addicting is included in Sega Swirl.

Thompson’s Two Cents

I didn’t think I’d like this game at first. As soon as I hit my first swirl and saw my first combo, I knew I wanted more. I wanted much more. I kept playing. My eyes turned red. And then my wife was better at it than me. At that point, I realized that I had to keep playing until I beat her. I finally did, but then she got better. And the cycle continued.

And besides, it’s free.