The Rise of Atlantis

Game Description: Travel through the ancient world of Phoenicia, Babylon, and Egypt in this picturesque Match 3 adventure game. Collect the required game pieces by driving each piece to the bottom of the playing field by making matches beneath them. Overcome chained and double-chained tiles to accomplish your goals! Make impressive matches, and collect big powerups and bonuses to help you along the way!

Please Note: There are two versions of The Rise of Atlantis. There is the full version that can be purchased and downloaded, and there is the free version which I have here on Richard's Game Reviews. The full version has all 77 levels. The free version has the first 29 levels of the game divided into three parts: Phoenicia has 7 levels, Babylon has 10 levels, and Egypt has 12 levels.

How to Play The Rise of Atlantis:

• Once the game fully loads you will immediately see another screen, divided into four parts. This screen will show you some of the basic rules on how to play the game. Go ahead, and read this information if you want to. Then, click the 'Play' button.
• If this is the first time you are playing The Rise of Atlantis, the next screen you will see will be Phoenicia Stage 1. Click the 'Play' button located at the lower right corner to begin play. (If you have already started playing The Rise of Atlantis here on Richard's Game Reviews, and you are using the same computer as before, you will instead see the level where you last left off).
• Use the left mouse button to swap adjacent tiles. That is, tiles that are next to each other either hortizontally or vertically.
• To swap tiles you can either click each tile individually, or use a dragging motion.
• You may only move tiles when the swap results in a match of 3 or more identical tiles in a row either hortizontally or vertically.
• The goal of each level is to free certain game pieces from the playing field by driving those pieces to the bottom row.
• In the Phoenicia levels, you will be freeing pieces of an Artifact that needs to be assembled.
• In the Babylon levels, the pieces you need to free are the bright blue tear-shaped pieces.
• In the Egypt levels, the pieces you need to free are the gold colored triangular shaped pieces.
• Free the pieces you need to free through the bottom of the playing field by making matches below each piece. As you do, the piece will drop down row by row until it reaches the bottom. Once the piece reaches the bottom row it will automatically be released, and float from the playing field.
• As you progress in the game you will encounter some tiles that have locks or double locks. Locked tiles cannot be moved, and can sometimes block your way if the pieces you need to free are trapped above them. For single locked tiles you will need to make an extra match with them in order to remove their lock so they can be moved. For double locked tiles you must make two matches with them, one match to break each lock, before they can be moved.
• The timer is at the bottom. The timer moves from right to left. It shows you how much time you have left to complete the level.
• You begin the game with 3 lives.
• Your goal is to free all of the required pieces before the time runs out. If you do, you go on to the next level of play.
• If the timer runs out before you free all of the required pieces, you will lose one life and you must repeat the level again.
• Earn bonus points for finishing a level quickly.
• At the end of a level if the game doesn't automatically show your score, just click anywhere on the game and it will. Then, click 'OK'.
• After you complete each level you will see a screen where you will be asked if you would like to download the game. If you only want to play for free, just click the 'Continue' button and continue your free game here on Richard's Game Reviews.
• As long as you use the same computer and come back here to Richard's Game Reviews, The Rise of Atlantis should automatically save your game progress. So, you can pick up your game where you last left off.

The Rise of Atlantis Sun power-up: The Sun power-up is the large circular object located near the lower left corner. You earn this power-up by making matches of 4 or more in a row to charge it up. When you hover your mouse over the Sun power-up, The Rise of Atlantis will show you the percentage it is charged. It must be charged 100% before you can use it. When the Sun power-up is completly charged up it will vibrate and grow bigger for an instant. It will also make a repeated electrical charge sound to let you know that it is ready. Click on the fully charged Sun power-up and it will use its energy to destroy a host of tiles. It will almost always destroy the tiles that will help you the most! Unlike the bonuses described below, the Sun power-up does not carry over its charge to the next level. It begins each level at 0%. However, you can charge it up more than once during a level.

The Rise of Atlantis Bonuses: Besides the Sun power-up, The Rise of Atlantis has 5 bonuses to help you win. (Although I have played all 29 levels of the free version of The Rise of Atlantis twice, I have never seen the Extra Life bonus. Even though I am almost certain it is not available for the free version, I will explain what it does anyway). To earn a bonus, first you need to see the piece on the playing field. When it appears, you then need to make matches below it and drive it through the bottom to collect it. Unused collected bonuses carry over from one level to the next. The number below each bonus, and just to the right of the little 'x', shows the quantity of each bonus you have available. Here are the bonuses:

• The Bomb Bonus -- Yes, it looks like a Bomb. To use a collected Bomb Bonus click on it to pick it up, and point to an area that you would like to blast. Then, click again.
• The Lightning Bonus -- This very powerful bonus looks like a lightning bolt. To use a collected Lightning Bonus first click on it. Then click any tile. Use it to destroy all the tiles of a certain type present on the playing field. For instance, you could use it to destroy all of the green tiles.
• The Swap Bonus -- It looks like a gold circle with two blue teardrop shapes inside it pointing in opposite directions. (You may not see this bonus until later in the game. I believe it is not introduced until Egypt - 1). Use it to swap any two tiles anywhere on the game field. To use the collected Swap Bonus click on it to pick it up and select the tiles you would like to swap.
• The Clock Bonus -- This very valuable bonus looks like an hourglass. Click on a collected clock bonus to earn some extra time when time starts to run out.
• The Extra Life Bonus -- It looks like a red heart. As I previously mentioned above, I have never seen The Extra Life Bonus in the free version of The Rise of Atlantis. If you should ever see one on the playing field, just know that it is a very good thing. Drive it through the bottom of the playing field to earn an extra life!

The Rise of Atlantis Game Options:

• To pause the game, click the 'Menu' button located in the upper right corner. Click the 'Resume' button to continue your game.
• To turn the game sounds on or off, first click the 'Menu' button located in the upper right corner. Then, turn the sound on or off by clicking the 'Sound On' or 'Sound Off' button. Finally, click the 'Resume' button to continue your game.

The Rise of Atlantis Playing Tips:

• Earn as many bonuses as you can, and save them for the more challenging levels where you may need them.
• You do not necessarily need to unlock all of the chained tiles to win a level, but it is better if you can. The reason is obvious. Chained tiles block your way. If you can break all of the locks, you will have much greater flexibility to drop the required pieces to the bottom and win your level.
• If you get into a situation where there are no more matches possible, The Rise of Atlantis will show a message saying "No more moves." The timer will simply go down to zero and you will lose a life. The way out of a "No more moves" situation is to anticipate it beforehand, and to avoid it by using a bonus. The best bonus to use in this type of situation is probably the Lightning Bonus, because the lightning will change the playing field and shuffle things up for you better than the other bonuses probably would.
• Each time you come to play The Rise of Atlantis you will see an initial game screen, divided into four parts. This screen will show you some of the basic rules on how to play the game. This particular screen must have some type of an internal timing mechanism built into it, because if you should wait a while before clicking the 'Play' button, the game screen will usually, if not always, go blank. When this happens, the only way to resume play is to refresh the page.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Pro: Like all Playrix games, The Rise of Atlantis has beautiful imagery and outstanding sounds. For experienced Match 3 players it should be rather easy to complete all 29 levels without losing any lives. Even so, The Rise of Atlantis is a pleasant journey. I do hope you enjoy it!

Con: This is simply an observation, and not really a criticism. The game does not acknowledge your accomplishment when you finish the last level of the free version (Egypt Stage 12). After you click the 'Continue' button, it simply begins again back at the beginning of the game at Phoenicia Stage 1. It would have been nice to have had at least a small congratulatory message at the end of the game, don't you think?

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