Number merging puzzle games have been around since the advent of smart phones it seems; a quick and easy drop-in/out game that can stimulate the brain on a quick morning commute or pass a few spare moments that you have spare. 1024, 2048, Fives: all are titles that can trace their origins back to Threes, perhaps the forefather of number mergers; certainly, the one that lost the most when clones appeared on app stores.
Another contender has now appeared, this time on the Nintendo Switch. Get 10 Quest is the latest number merger but attempts to find a place in a unique space. How successfully? If you’ve ever played any of the aforementioned titles, Get 10 Quest will feel like slipping on a pair of comfy shoes; players are given a grid of numbers and by combining adjacently identical numbers together, can increase their total by one integer whilst making room for more numbers to fall into the grid. The ultimate aim is to achieve the highest singular number before running out of available moves.
That’s in Endless mode but Get 10 Quest has another mode up its’ sleeve; 80 levels of increasingly tricky objectives to complete. And surprisingly, these levels get a fair bit of traction from the same gameplay: Reach a target number, score X amount of points within a time limit, clear boards, collect specific numbers – these are just some of the parameters you have. Each level will also keep track of your best score for that particular mission, with a grand total presented to the left-hand side of the screen with all your best scores added up.
Whether or not your grand total is good or not is unknown, due to a lack of an online leaderboard to compare with peers and other players.
Levels also have varied layouts as opposed to Endless mode and its standard 5×5 grid. These are hardly ground-breaking but do add an additional layer of difficulty and originality to those already familiar with number merging.
However, get stuck on a particularly nasty level, then you are unable to progress any further. Only one new level is unlocked following the completion of the previous one. Thankfully though, resetting a level is almost instantaneous and lends itself to players giving an objective one more go.
Get 10 Quest tries to keep it quite minimalistic in its’ appearance, with a white background that is in contrast with the colours of the blocks. Each number has a unique colour which makes it easier to distinguish between others, but this minimalism does come at a cost. Whereas Threes gave their blocks personalities with eyes and accessories, Get 10 Quest features nothing like that. As a result, it does come across as a bit drab.
Get 10 Quest does come with different ways to play the game. Not referring back to Endless and Levels, but physically. As a Switch Lite owner, it made complete sense to offer this with touchscreen controls. Selecting a specific level does require a double-click but once in a game, using touchscreen is the preferred option. It also proves to be the slightly quicker method; very useful in levels against the clock.
You can also use the standard Joy-Con and buttons, but rather than highlighting a square to select, you are instead controlling a cursor round the screen. It doesn’t quite feel right, and that’s why using the touchscreen is recommended. At least when in handheld mode where you have a choice.
It is also worth highlighting that Get 10 Quest is priced at £2.69 on the Nintendo eShop; perfectly priced for a pick-up-and-play puzzle game.
If you have ever played a number merging type game, you know exactly what you are getting into with Get 10 Quest’s Endless mode. The Levels do offer something slightly different; the gameplay is identical, but the objectives help provide some longevity as you aim to complete all 80.
Don’t expect Get 10 Quest on Nintendo Switch to while away countless hours of your time, but if you have a spare 15 minutes – and some pocket change – having a number merger on your Switch such as this is a good investment.
Rating: 3/5
Release date: July 2020
Price: £2.69
Formats: Nintendo Switch (Review)
Thanks to: Fantastico Studio