''Zendoku'' is a 2007

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. ...

developed by

Zoonami Zoonami was a video game development company, founded in 1998 by Martin Hollis, the director and producer of '' GoldenEye 007''. He left Rare shortly before '' Perfect Dark'' was released while other members of the ''GoldenEye 007'' team form ...

and published by

Eidos Interactive Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...

for the Nintendo DS and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

handheld consoles.

Gameplay

''Zendoku'' is a variation of

Sudoku Sudoku (; ja, 数独, sūdoku, digit-single; originally called Number Place) is a logic-based, combinatorics, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. In classic Sudoku, the objective is to fill a 9 × 9 grid with digits so that each co ...

, offering a slightly more combative experience than simply lining up numbers. Players must now insert symbols, rather than the standard numbers. Players choose characters and choose to attack or defend against a challenger, which takes place via mini-games started upon filling in a group of numbers. The game is set against

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

-influenced backdrops and has a "light-hearted martial arts" theme. The game also offers single-player puzzles.

Development and release

''Zendoku'' was developed by

and published by

for the Nintendo DS and

handheld consoles. According to Zoonami CEO Martin Hollis, the game's focus is on fun and innovation, stating that the company wanted to turn "a familiar paper and pencil game into a puzzling, battling, micro-gaming, fighting extravaganza." In North America, ''Zendoku'' was released to retailers on June 18, 2007.

Reception

''Zendoku'' received generally mixed reviews from critics. The UK Nintendo Magazine,

ONM ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally published by EMAP as ...

praised the DS version of the game for its colourful graphics, but criticized it for the confusing system of using symbols instead of numbers, as well as the minigames feeling tacked on and more of an annoyance, but finished by saying, "One for multiplayer only".

NGamer ''Nintendo Gamer'' was a magazine published in the United Kingdom which mainly covered Nintendo video game consoles and software. It was the successor publication to ''N64 Magazine'', later renamed NGC Magazine (1997–2006), and ''Super Play'' ...

praised the multiplayer game highly, saying, "The thrill of using logical reasoning to kick someone's arse is a phenomenal experience."

References

External links

* {{Cite web , url=http://www.eidosinteractive.com/games/info.html?gmid=174 , title=''Zendoku'' at Eidosinteractive.com , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202153424/http://www.eidosinteractive.com/games/info.html?gmid=174 , archive-date=December 2, 2007 , url-status=dead 2007 video games Eidos Interactive games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo DS games PlayStation Portable games Puzzle video games Sudoku video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom