Splat the Difference Review

Splat the Difference

Release: September 15, 2016
Publisher: Lightwood Games
Developer: Lightwood Games
Genre: Family, Nintendo 3DS Reviews, Other, Puzzle
PEGI: E
Comments:

 

Comment

Can you spot the difference? Lightwood Games, the masters of word puzzle games, turns their attention to a different type of puzzle game. Splat the Difference for the 3DS is all about spotting the differences between a picture on the top screen and a picture on the bottom screen. Its a simple concept, but is it a simple game? Does Splat the Difference provide a moments distraction or is it something more?

There are multiple modes in Splat the Difference. While playing with one or two players, you can play either Classic, Casual, Frenzy, or Mirror modes. In single player, all of the modes are timed expect for Casual. The Casual mode is basically a play however long you like mode. The differences can sometimes be easy to find and sometimes are very hard. I liked Casual the best because I wasn’t a fan of the timed modes in one player mode. You don’t get much time to find the differences and if you make a mistake, the time runs out faster. Single player mode is fun on Casual though. Of course, the multiplayer mode in Splat the Difference is more fun.

You can either play local two-player, where you’ll need two copies of the game, or download play. For this review, I played the download play mode with my dad. We tried Casual first, but with that mode, you had to pick your own stopping point and we didn’t care for it much.

Then we discovered (thanks to Lightwood Games) that the Classic mode was different in two-player. In this mode, there is no timer. Whoever reaches a score of five wins. Classic Mode isn’t too hard, but its not too easy either. Meanwhile, the Frenzy and Mirror modes are a bit harder and if you and a friend are up to the challenge, you should try them out. My dad and I liked Classic mode the best. And Download Play works really well with Splat the Difference! The first time second player downloads Splat, the download will be slow. The next time, since the game does save some data, the download will go quick. I was very impressed by how well Download Play worked. We had no connection issues at all. Download Play was a great addiction to this game. There is one thing that I wish was better about the multiplayer mode though.

There are no options for setting rules in Splat the Difference. In single player, this is ok, but in multiplayer mode, its would’ve been nice to adjust how many rounds you play or set a score limit. No multiplayer options is not a deal breaker for this game, you can certainly have a lot of fun with it (especially in Classic Mode), but I do think that you should’ve been able to set your own rules. Still, the game is fun as is and that largely has to do with how easy the game is to control.

Splat the Difference is a touch screen only game. You won’t be using any of the buttons with this game. The menus are controlled via the touch screen and are very easy to navigate. The in-game splatting is controlled via the touch screen and works well too. Splat the Difference is a fun game, especially in multiplayer. Players can learn how to play quickly and have a lot of fun. Oh and the game has good graphics too!

All of the images in Splat the Difference look nice. The Splat effect will remind you of something out of Splatoon! There is no 3D in this game, which is a shame because of the splat effect, but I understand why it wasn’t put in. You are constantly looking from the top to bottom screen and the 3D would’ve gotten blurry. In the end, Splat the Difference looks fine without the 3D.

As for the game’s soundtrack, its not that great. The music in the game gets annoying and I recommend just turning it off. You should keep the sound effects on though because you won’t want to miss the Splat sound effect.

Splat the Difference is the best spot the difference game I’ve played. The graphics, controls, and fun multiplayer mode make it a very good time killer. Is the game perfect? No, I do wish that you could have set your own rules for multiplayer. Perhaps I’m just too spoiled by games like Super Smash Bros though. I also wish the game had a better soundtrack and hadn’t worried about timing things in most of the single player modes (or had done it in a different way). The game is very good overall though!

Splat the Difference is the type of game that you’ll play for a little bit, put down, and then get back to every once and while. You’ll especially have fun with the game if you know someone locally that has a 3DS. You need only one copy to play this game! I think including download play with Splat the difference was a brilliant move.

If you like spot the difference games, then this is the one to buy. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, but you need a very good time killer, then you should check this game out! Splat the Difference is a fun game.

Thanks to Lightwood Games for providing a review copy of this game. Splat the Difference is now available on the 3DS eshop!

Positives

• Fun Multiplayer
• Download Play
• Good Graphics
• Excellent controls

Negatives

• Can’t Set Your Own Rules
• Annoying Music
• Didn’t Like The Timer

Trailer