An updated Breakout with shops and light RPG elements sounds like it'd be a good idea, and the first few levels show that yes, that actually is pretty clever and interesting. Well really it's an "RPG" because there's no story, items, or really good choices to make. Just a money system that barely matters
The problem with Wizorb is that it never really respects the players time or effort. If you don't play through 12 levels in a row, the game will discard all your effort. You can run out of continues as well.
There are ways to save and quit, but dear god, the amount of grind to get any meaning of progress is extreme.
And that Progress is equally pointless. You earn money, to buy items in the 12 levels that last until you die, which happens often enough, or you return to town and pay people to repair their houses which gets you temporary boosts like an extra life, or a "key" which unlocks shops.
The level design is ok, and the gameplay is acceptable, but the entire game around it is long, stretched out and overall boring. It becomes a chore to play through which takes the interesting idea and renders it boring.
The problem with Wizorb is that it never really respects the players time or effort. If you don't play through 12 levels in a row, the game will discard all your effort. You can run out of continues as well.
There are ways to save and quit, but dear god, the amount of grind to get any meaning of progress is extreme.
And that Progress is equally pointless. You earn money, to buy items in the 12 levels that last until you die, which happens often enough, or you return to town and pay people to repair their houses which gets you temporary boosts like an extra life, or a "key" which unlocks shops.
The level design is ok, and the gameplay is acceptable, but the entire game around it is long, stretched out and overall boring. It becomes a chore to play through which takes the interesting idea and renders it boring.