IndieGems Curator

Spark Sparkle is an interesting concept shoot em up game that adds a puzzle element to it. This can be pretty hectic and is somewhat difficult to master but feels satisfying when you are able to progress. Not only do you have to avoid the shots of your enemies while taking them down; you have to grab puzzle pieces and assemble the puzzle before your opponent can finish theirs. The color palette, characters, and music is cute. There's a few different modes to play from a single player, tournament like mode, and online play. You can even practice the puzzles in a gallery to hone your placement skills. The controls are simple to understand and there is a tutorial to teach your the basics.

There isn't much major I really can gripe about here personally. The game play is fun but it can get difficult. It's kind of a good way difficult though. It forces you to get better at the mechanics of the game if you want to unlock the rest of the characters and puzzles available. Aside from the difficulty the only other thing I can say I had an issue with is the absence of a restart button when playing a stage. This isn't much of an issue on a single stage but if you are in the second or third stage of a tournament; the only real way to try a stage again without restarting the whole set is by waiting for your enemy to win. The online seems inactive as well so you will most likely only be able to play this online with friends. Not a huge con but it's something to keep in mind.


This is a game I'd say still wait for a bit of a sale but if you are into shoot em' up games and puzzle games this is a fun and interesting combination. Check out some game play here below.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2251172330

𝕀𝕗 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔼𝕟𝕛𝕠𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕋𝕣𝕪
https://store.steampowered.com/app/366280/TWINKLE_STAR_SPRITES/

A review copy was provided by the developer.

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Spark and Sparkle (SS) caught my attention with its unusual premise, combining a jigsaw puzzle and SHMUP game. Adding to it, you're always playing against an opponent, as SHMUPs don't usually have a versus mode of any kind. My main curiosity stemmed from how this would even be functional, as these are such distinct tasks from one another. With only one way to find out, I accepted a review key.


If the concept didn't already hint at this, your multitasking ability will be put to the test by this title, as you always have multiple things attracting your attention. You have to kill enemies, pick up the gems they drop as those are what generates jigsaw pieces, deal with distraction attacks your opponent sends over, collect jigsaw pieces before they scroll off-screen, and of course place them in the correct spot. Between all of these factors, it can be incredibly distracting, with your focus switching from one thing to the next.

There are three main modes available in SS: Match, Arcade, and Online. Match Mode has you play a single match against either a human player or the AI, with options such as which puzzle you play, if there's any handicaps, and how difficult the AI is. Arcade Mode allows you to play through a series of opponents, trying to beat all of them in order to complete the run. There are currently five available, with each being harder than the last. You can't jump straight to the hardest one. They have to be unlocked by beating each sequentially. Online Mode allows you to play against other people who also have the game. Unless you have somebody on your friends list that already owns SS, it's very unlikely you'd find someone online randomly, as that can be hard with even semi-popular games, let alone a title that's not well known. I commend them for having this option available though.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2262608464
This was one of the elements I was most curious about, and it works reasonable well. You're able to choose between using the keyboard or controller, and I opted for a controller. There's a special move you can use a limited amount of times, and placing pieces in the right space fills it back up. One problem I encountered was when trying to pick up and put down the puzzle pieces, as they sometimes seemed to be unresponsive.


I was hopeful that with the various characters to choose from that there would be some sort of plot line behind why they would be battling (puzzling?) against one another. It could have had something to do with acquiring a magical artifact that would grant them a special power. However, you learn almost nothing about any of the characters, the world they're in, or what is even going on. At most, they exchange some dialogue before they face off against one another, but there's no follow-up after you win, nor is there a meaningful ending screen after you beat everybody else.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2262608811
SS is made up of pixels, and when looking at the size of them, they're small enough that it's more than possible to give everything crisp detail. Certain aspects of the visuals take advantage of this, such as the lighting and shading in the jigsaw puzzles and character portraits. However, I wasn't fond of the overall aesthetic and art style that was chosen for the game. It lends itself to a cutesy look, which isn't inherently bad, but it doesn't look clean and polished the way other pixel games do.


There's a nice variety in the soundtrack, with most of them having a slight dreamy vibe to them. They have a relaxing and calming essence, which helps prevent the game coming off as too intense, when puzzle-solving is still a significant basis of the gameplay. By contrast though, the blasts that go off as you blow up enemies seems at home in the SHMUP arena.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2262607451
🌟 Some of the unlockables, such as character skins, are quite difficult to earn. However, there's a reason for playing Arcade Mode multiple times, as it'll develop your skills and unlock new puzzles you can choose from.
🌟 The developers have expressed interest in further updating SS, particularly based on suggestions made by people who have played it.
🌟 There are eight playable characters, all of whom play differently from one another.


❌ I think the characters need rebalancing. For instance, the Frog Prince has the disadvantage of needing to get up-close to attack, but has one of the hardest to see distraction attacks. Since it creates a U-shape in its flight pattern, it can hit you coming from either direction, with no way to know when it'll veer off and go back up. Stripe and Mermaid Princess have similar distraction attacks, but they're much easier to dodge.
❌ The AI is programmed in a way that's perplexing. When facing against them at higher difficulties, they place each puzzle piece without any hesitation or error, which is so unfair. Oddly enough though, even they seem to get overwhelmed by everything, as I've been able to dodge all the hazards, and they will be hit multiple times in a row, losing a few puzzle pieces in a short duration.
❌ If you screw up a match early on, there's no way to restart quickly. You have to wait it out until the opponent finishes. I quit out of the last match in Arcade Mode, because after messing up early, I had no patience to sit it out.


🔍 Each puzzle is made up of the same # of pieces, 20. There are 14 edge pieces, which are the easiest to place. The six center ones can be oriented in any direction, and take a while to figure out. Being able to pick up a piece, rotate it once, and try it again repeatedly becomes a fundamental skill in SS.
🔍 Keeping up with waves of enemies is crucial, as even if you don't take damage, you'll lose simply because your opponent is getting more gems and pieces than you. Your puzzle can be messy for a while, and you'll eventually get a chance to sort it out.


I actually have played another game where you tried to put together a jigsaw puzzle before your opponent did, and that was Pieces for the SNES. It wasn't particularly interesting or fun, but for most of my life, it was one of a kind. SS is the only game I've seen since that's taken on such a concept, and does so in a way that's pretty enjoyable. The learning curve is fairly steep, as my first attempts led to spectacular failure. However, now that I've gotten more practice with it, I have a better appreciation for the game, and how you're supposed to beat the AI. Based on remarks made by the developers to make further tweaks, I'm hopeful it will improve, with perhaps more options available to ease or increase the challenge. I'd say it's a mite steep at $10, but if you want a novel puzzle game to play, I'd suggest getting this on sale.

Competitive puzzle shmup, adorably cute
+1

I really like Spark & Sparkle. The puzzle mechanic is great, and makes you feel personally invested when you get hit and lose a piece you spent time placing. It also incentivizes screen-peeking to try and find where the puzzle pieces are meant to go, which adds challenge. The art is all very well done, and I love the character designs.

The only thing I wish was improved about the game is how there's no enemy chaining. The game's clearly inspired by the Neo Geo game "Twinkle Star Sprites", but in that game when you killed an enemy, any other enemies caught in its blast radius would get killed. That doesn't happen in Spark & Sparkle, so what you end up with is Twinkle Star Sprites style enemy patterns but you can only kill a single enemy at a time, making them more of an annoyance than in TSS. If this could be patched in I think the game would be perfect.

Really fun VS Shoot'em up with a twist.
The chaotic combination of puzzle solving and STG gameplay makes for very tense and exciting situations where matches can easily flip from one players advantage to another in a flash.

Art style and soundtrack are fantastic in an adorable cutesy way.

this game is unbelievably fun!! it's easy to pick up but always stays challenging - sometimes with arcade-style games like this i start to get bored playing single player once i get the hang of things but i think i'll be having fun with this one for a long time. totally a must-have for cute 'em up fans, especially if you also like puzzle games!

Amazing little game that I'm so glad I found out about. Vertical shooter mixed with a jigsaw puzzle? Will that work? Really? YES, yes it does!

Great SNES/Retro visuals and soundtrack are just icing on the cake!

Get this game!

EDIT: Would love some updates/DLC for it!!

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[Kawaii Shoot'em up] A Twinkle Star Sprites follower. Beat foes with jigsaw building is unique point. Also solve puzzle to unlock something. Worth to play for old arcade shooters.

[STG] 可愛いスプライツフォロアー！STGとジグソーパズルの融合系。2023年4月に2年ぶりの更新が入り、諸々の調整がなされている。

Review starts at 11:02

https://youtu.be/EnT_dpHRDbs

Feels like a time machine into an old Japanese arcade parlor, maybe even just a single machine gathering dust in an odd shop off the main roads.
Weird concept, weird execution - and I kinda dig it.
I feel liek the game should have a speed modifier to zing it up a bit.
NeoGeo- esque presentation ( if you ever played something like Panel de Pon, this will feel famaliar)

You shoot em up in a vertical setting on your half of the screen, collect gems - and avoid taking damage.
When you fill up the meter in the center of the screen, you get a capsule - which will contain a puzzle piece ( or a powerup or an enemy, there's a bunch of things it can spit out )
You then collect the puzzle piece, and find the spot on the board it belongs by moving it with your ship and rotating it with L and R o( on a controller, feels natural to )

if you take damage, you lose a piece - it goes to opponent's side - and if they don't have that one already - they can place it. If they have that piece, it turns into gems.

Few modes, an Arcade single player - Online, and remote play together compatible and also some other stuff you can check out if ya feel.

it's cute and a neat idea - I just wish it was a lot faster.