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Azkend

In Brief

An older sliding match three game.

Installation:

downloads to a 37.7 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set-up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives can save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 33.9 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if you prefer:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\Azkend

Four shortcuts are installed to the desktop. three of which can be safely deleted (Play Online Games, MyPlayCity Games and shortcuts to a free online game which vary each week). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you uncheck the box when the additional tasks window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window)

Introduction:

Discover the secrets of an ancient relic, and its deadly curse, using your Match 3 skills! Summon powerful lightning storms to help you clear the board, and uncover the truth behind this unknown artefact. Collect unique talismans with special powers as you progress. Travel all across Asia on your journey for a cure to your mysterious ailment, and figure out the dangerous Azkend!

Reference accessed HERE 10th March 2018

The Game:

Review 1:

Pattern-matching puzzler Azkend‘s chief innovation isn’t its haunting atmosphere, lilting Far Eastern soundtrack or even admittedly gorgeous presentation. (Although they are major pluses, elevating the title to that elite rank of games you can tell received the royal treatment when it comes to both manpower and production values.) Rather, it’s the way in which the outing buffs and polishes an oft-explored formula to an undeniably brilliant shine, proving that even the most cliched design conventions can still be used to tremendous effect, if given the proper time and tender loving care.

Consider the storyline, which instantly hooks viewers with its suspenseful premise of a visitor to foreign lands who finds themselves strangely called back to the Orient years after finding a mysterious artefact which changed their life. A masterpiece in minimalism, although you’re drip-fed little more than a line of dialogue here, a new picture of a snowy mountaintop or remote pagoda there, one can’t help but keep at the tale to see what develops. Likewise, basic play’s setup couldn’t be more nonchalant either, as – faced with a randomly-shaped grid of item-bearing hexagons at each standalone level – you simply attempt to make chains of three or more similar objects.

Per usual, doing so merely requires clicking and dragging your mouse over said parasols, leaves, seashells, flowers and chalices in linear order, with any matches made instantly disappearing from the board. (Following which, gravity causes higher-situated items to tumble down and take their places.) To win each stage, you must convert each tile’s backdrop to blue by making a match using it, then – once all hexagons have been coloured in – lowering the bit of talisman which appears afterwards until it touches the bottom row of the pile. The whole time you’re playing, the clock is slowly running out, with only a limited amount of seconds afforded to beat every scenario.

Predictably, the further you progress across the brooding mountain range that passes as Adventure mode’s campaign map, the likelier you are to encounter obstacles including steel tiles, iced-over tiles, locked titles and spreading tar. To get ahead, you’ll eventually be forced to counter each or all on any single level (which may further constrain movement by way of choke points or only a limited selection of initial items) by making multiple or adjacent matches using these playing pieces.

If it all sounds a bit too familiar, don’t be fooled. The first twist here is that any time you utilize a previously untapped hexagon you’re awarded a lightning rune. Fill your Thunder Meter with five, and an equal number of electrified bolts crash onto the screen, randomly destroying certain items and colouring in their tiles. (Thankfully, the computer generally focuses on those targets most helpful to the player.)

The second is that if you link larger numbers of objects in one fell swoop, you’ll receive an instant bonus in the form of a series of extra lightning strikes that are awarded for joining 7 hexagons at once and every 3 in the same sequence thereafter. Grab enough talisman pieces, and you’ll be able to access their special powers too, with participants able to select one patron artefact before each stage. Connect four or more items corresponding to these powerful treasures, and shooting stars come crashing onto the screen, bombs explode in a jaw-dropping display of smoke and flame and tile-destroying rays of light spray out in random directions.

Amazingly, the fun doesn’t stop at these selectable special weapons and bonuses’ stunning accompanying pyrotechnics either. Although groups of levels are set against the same, static backdrop, these environments (composed of still, but pretty pictures) colour in more with each stage passed. Fill in enough, and you’ll get to play a “Where’s Waldo”-type mini-game that challenges you to spot certain objects or portions of the scene highlighted in a viewfinder.

While ultimately a fleeting amusement, there’s plenty of incentive to participate in these diversions too, with extra seconds permanently awarded to your total available time on every successive encounter the more you successfully spot. Throw in a full-fledged survival mode with levels specifically keyed to each talisman as well, and it all makes for one heck of a lot of eye candy and replay value.

On the downside, veterans can blaze through the core tale in just a couple afternoons, assuming the action doesn’t prove too Deja Vu-inspiring or repetitious. And certainly, options to pick your preferred bonus (though not all, such as the extinction talisman, are that effective or interesting) combined with frequent lightning strikes speed up the pace and increase chances of triumphing all the more. But really, as much as beginners will immediately cotton to the quest, and longstanding genre stalwarts can’t help but be amused by how fresh and perky a previously stodgy and overused gaming trope suddenly feels, well… Suffice it to say that we’re giving this total surprise gem two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Originally posted by Scott Steinberg on Dec 21, 2007 . Reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 10th March 2018.

Other Reviews and Videos of Azkend:

You can see Big Fish community reviews of Azkend HERE and if you want to see some game-play you can HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

Conclusion:

Azkend is a decent sliding match three from 2007. It’s got all the usual elements of this type of game. I Bought this shortly after it was released back in 2007 via Reflexive Arcade games (now owned by Amazon), and used my original copy to write up this report. The images I’ve taken while playing the game don’t take account of the MyPlayCity logos that usually accompany games from MyPlayCity. The graphics are looking a little dated now, but generally they still look pretty good, especially for the age of this game. p.s. I loved the background music.

Suggestions:

After you've had an opportunity to play today's giveaway please take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback about the game; for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, or how it could be improved. If you don't like the genre at all, please explain why and if any, what improvements would change your mind? If you don't have time to post a comment today, please do so at your convenience, thank you. To access the comments once the giveaway is over, open the game giveaway to its home page then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open up the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE; or If you prefer to purchase the game you can get it HERE via Big Fish Games.

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting Azkend to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted, for example, a common issue seen since the Themida wrapper was introduced three years ago is that some community members installation of the game is blocked by their security (usually an error message is flagged for example 'The executable is corrupted' even though in reality it is not) because Themida code has been known to hide malware, so as a precaution some anti malware programs will block and even delete the suspect installation files even though they are actually free from malware. This issue can be solved either by rebooting your computer in safe mode with networking or a quicker method is to temporarily turn off your security software to allow the installation. In the almost 11 years the game giveaway site has been operating there has NEVER been a game given away that was infected with malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to download the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlayCity for giving away Azkend and also to the game giveaway team.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If Azkend doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns thread for details of other free games and offers HERE