Pipe Mania

pasquale 2024-03-18
(9/10)
One of the most addictive and unique puzzle game on the Amiga. Excellent gameplay and nice password system, good for players that cannot beat all levels with just 1 attempt, it compensate that so annoying instant "GAME OVER" massage.. Me honestly I did not complete yet the last 4 levels even with the password, they are so hard, but in the overall I really enjoyed the game in the first 24-28 levels.
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Bubba'n'Stix 2 2024-01-18
(9/10)
Same opinion as Blizzard.
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Blizzard 2024-01-18
(8/10)
One of the best puzzle games on the Amiga that still stands up today.

Pros: Extremely addictive, fun with great gameplay. The balance is just right to hook you in for that “one more go” feeling. The levels are nicely designed and new elements are introduced as you progress to keep you on your toes and are not repeatedly overdone. The difficulty is also finely balanced in a fair way from the early “easy” levels to the later tricky challenges. This is how game design should be done.

Cons: Some of the levels have garish colours which can be distracting and when “directional tiles” are introduced it’s not always clear because they have an arrow marking which can sometimes be overlooked costing you dearly. Also, a minor con is that it seems to be limited to 36 levels (with the last one repeating with random tiles) which is a pity as I wanted more!

Overall: This is a nicely designed puzzle game which will keep you hooked for hours, it has a fair difficulty curve with an original concept.
8/10
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MartinJSUK 2023-02-21
(8/10)
One of the most original of the wave of puzzlers of the time, released for almost every system imaginable. I've always assumed that the idea came to the designers in a flash when they needed a plumber one day and were watching their work. Arrange the supply of blocks in order to create space for the mysterious Flooz to flow into.

Sounds simple, but there's so much more to it. The pieces include crosses to pass through for bonus points, and you're further helped by a preview of future pieces, and time to plan ahead before the flow starts (but the chance to speed it up for extra points), and the chance to replace pieces you've put down in if you realise they're wrong. Hidden points bonuses for trickery add to the challenge. Later levels add hazards, pieces which can only be flowed through in one direction (it's so annoying when you don't notice the arrow!) and preset pieces to work around. After every 4 levels you get a password, and a cute Connect 4 style bonus game. There's an expert mode and a competitive 2 player game too.

Luck definitely plays a bigger part than it should (maybe the piece sequences should be standardised on each level rather than random?) and the colour scheme on levels 5-8 is pretty lurid, but it's still great fun.
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Puzzle Rattrap 2018-03-02
Got rather samey rather too quickly, but was entertaining enough. Was converted to console systems as "Pipe Dream".
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Dottor_Psycho 2016-12-18
(8/10)
Perfect example of a great puzzler: no frills and a lot of substance. Very playable and addictive to this day. A true classic (8/10).
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Pssyche 2015-10-27
(8/10)
Always had a soft spot for this one. I even like the sound and graphics. Very nice.
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Lagerfeldt 2013-05-26
(9/10)
A classic which is still fun to play today. Not quite up to the clean and crisp C64 version.

The Amiga version unfortunately has quite garish colors on later levels, and the controls and sound effect feedback is a bit laggy. Annoying at first, but the gameplay drags you in.
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MageRage 2005-10-06
(8/10)
Good puzzle game, this and Logical were my favourites.
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robbie_22 2004-12-27
Hard to master..... XI
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Jpx 2004-12-07
(8/10)
Very addictive!
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