D1AL-ogue

Wow is the best way to kick off this D1AL-ogue review! I was blown away by what I experienced here, and while this is a short experience, it was so good that I made it a point to get all of the achievements, as I was so hooked on this game. If you love cyberpunk-style settings and stories, this is going to grab you right from the start. Not only that, this is a truly gorgeous looking game to with some incredible pixel art that is sure to blow you away. It is all wrapped around a puzzle system that is quite unique when compared to other match-three games.

The City That Never Sleeps

I love a cyberpunk setting, and the vibes that D1AL-ogue has going on are just awesome. We play the role of a guy who is in charge of a repair clinic, which is kind of like a ripper doc shop from the epic Cyberpunk 2077. Our clientele are called Electronic Vital Entities, and they are basically androids or cyber-enhanced people if you prefer. No matter what you refer to them as, we are here to take care of their repair needs, and our shop is actually pretty popular. There is also a bit of backstory here about the setting, Chroma City, and the Polar Night Day celebrations that are happening as the game takes place.

Everyone Has A Story To Tell

D1AL-ogue is a pretty short experience; you only have a handful of characters that you get to know, but they are very well written and developed. The idea here is that it is kind of like when you are at the barber shop, and you are just talking with the barber. That is the case here; you get to hear about these characters' lives, what they have going on, and some of the stuff is kind of intense and heartbreaking, but I am not going to spoil any of that for you here. The game manages to create a city and setting that is interesting and then fills that with a few characters that you are actually interested in learning more about.

The Wheel Of Three

I get that some people may be put off when they hear that technically, D1AL-ogue is a match-three game, but it is not your typical, move things along a grid match-three game like Candy Crush Saga, for example. Instead, you have a wheel, and you need to rotate the wheel to line up three of the same colors, but there is a little bit more depth added by the way you can use upgrades as well as make mistakes that cause problems. It is done to make you feel like you are actually working on the client, and it is a very cool effect. It is challenging, but not to the point of frustration. I had a great first run through, which was quite short as this is not a super long game, and then I managed to get the remaining achievements I needed on a second playthrough, where I had to mess up intentionally a few times. Sure, it is short, but it was a fantastic experience from start to end.

It Is In The Details

While there are many cyberpunk-themed games that go for a pixel art style, I would go as far as to say that D1AL-ogue is one of the very best. You have a handful of clients that you will be working on/with, and they each have their own unique look. There is a certain bit of anime about the character designs, but I like how large and detailed the sprite work is here. The actual game has a bright and funky look to it; it kind of reminds me of something like Tron or even Tempest 2000 with the neon-type colors that are used for the wheel. The backgrounds are also a lot of fun, making your imagination run wild about what else could be in Chroma City.

Pros:

• The cyberpunk city setting is awesome
• I loved how each girl had a unique personality
• The match-three puzzle gameplay was a ton of fun
• This game looks amazing!

Cons:

• It is a very short experience
• Once you have done it all, there is nothing else to see