Category: 
First Impressions:
Here’s a game from the growing hoard of downloadable game content providers. You don’t have to leave the house. Just do a search for “downloadable games” and you will find plenty of these. They are nice for when you need something to do for an hour or so. Many of them offer downloadable or web based demos too. The advantage is when you are stuck at work waiting for the phone to ring, these games a a perfect time waster.
Calling <i>TriJinx : A Kristine Kross Mystery</i> an “adventure” or a “mystery” is misleading. It turned out to be just a puzzle game. It isn’t a mystery point and click thriller which is what you would think from the name and the promotional advertising. It’s a ‘tetris’ type of game.
There isn’t any adventure happening with this title. The adventure part consists of seeing little thumbnails appear on a menu screen after you complete a level. Presumably the tiny cartoon drawing at the bottom of the screen is Kristine Kross. She isn’t even animated.
After finishing a few levels a two pages of a comic type of non - cutscene drops down. This is supposedly the story mode delivery. It is totally lame. There is a button for “replay movie” but - it isn’t a movie.
Gamplay:
Gameplay consists of watching little triangles drop and clicking them to remove them from the screen. It’s a typical match three. If you match more than three triangles there are more bonus points. There are three basic color pieces, red, blue, and green. As you gain levels more colors are added. Eventually little eyes appear on the squares and they blink and change colors randomly. That little .gif was about the only fun thing in this game. Multicolored triangles function like wild cards.
The controls are point and click, so the gameplay is very slow. The game is monotonous and tedious. It has the he deadening effect a routine task. There are 68 levels of this agony. There are four game modes. Gameplay is also timed so there is a feeling of being rushed through the “game”. Though game runs well enough, it is competent but dull.
Graphics:
The graphics are average. There are little or no special effects. A bit of lightening, and a pile of sand disappearing in a wispy puff of smoke were all there was. There aren’t any shiny sparkly lighting effects that are common in most of the new puzzle games. The geometric shapes aren’t very imaginative. In fact a few of them have Celtic knot work on them in a supposedly Egyptian themed artstyle.
Sound/Music:
Sound effects consist of readily available bytes. Nothing new here. There are some very annoying sound effects that sound like a fire drill buzzer. The music sounded like old public domain folk tunes that are vaguely familiar. It almost sounds like a melody track ripped from a Loreena McKennitt CD. But again not Egyptian.
Enjoyment:
Only a very obsessive puzzle gamer might enjoy this title. When people wish that they were gaming journalists I can point to Trijinx and say “it ain’t all a bed of roses honey”. We play games like this so that you don’t have to.
Marketing Efforts for women:
There was no effort put into this game to appeal to women. If it was meant to then like so many games it misses the mark. Women don’t automatically enjoy just any old puzzle game because some trumped up statistics once said so. On their website they say this:
<blockquote><i>PlayFirst is dedicated to creating and publishing popular games for the rest of us - titles that appeal to women, families, seniors and other consumer audiences often ignored by traditional video game publishers. PlayFirst is focused on creating a premium game portfolio that is accessible and entertaining for both new and seasoned online game players. </blockquote></i>
This sound like a fine sentiment, but the games produced have to do a little more than be an insult to our intelligence. It isn’t right to underestimate the audience and label somethings as an “adventure”. Then have it turn out to be a puzzle game. <i>Resident Evil</i> is an adventure game. TriJinx is not. “Seasoned online game players” will not enjoy this game.
Pros and Cons:
Pro: The game is cheap. It is a good thing there is an option to shut off the sound.
Cons: There are better inexpensive games than this. It is boring, and the time factor removes any possibility of relaxation while playing this game.
I give this game a 2 out of 10.
Total Rating - 2
Gameplay -2
Enjoyment - 1
Graphics - 3
Sound/Music - 1
Multiplayer - n/a
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