Heaven and Earth is a highly recommended game for puzzle fans. I remember in high school killing hours and hours playing it when it first came out. There is enough variety that anyone can find something in the game that they like. Besides the more typical block puzzles, there is a celestial card game that was worth the price of the game by itself. The idea is form "tricks" by combining cards of a similar type or suit, and there are wildcards you can use for multiplayer.
Heaven and Earth is a highly recommended game for puzzle fans. I remember in high school killing hours and hours playing it when it first came out. There is enough variety that anyone can find something in the game that they like. Besides the more typical block puzzles, there is a celestial card game that was worth the price of the game by itself. The idea is form "tricks" by combining cards of a similar type or suit, and there are wildcards you can use for multiplayer. After you finish your round, you can go back and try to beat your high score. The wildcards are celestial events like comets, eclipses, full moons and the like. I remember the sound effects
being good. The third part of the game was a pendulum simulator that felt out of place and pointless. You are trying to hit spots on the board with a pendulum. This part is way too easy, and doesn't seem to accomplish anything. Other than the pendulum part, the puzzle quality and variety is excellent.
Tying the whole experience together is Pilgrimage mode, which is a linear progression of predetermined puzzles you have to solve in order. Some of them are easy, some of them are very hard. It's as close as the game gets to a campaign mode.
The graphics are above average, for the VGA era. They are minimalist and don't distract the puzzles. There isn't any music to speak of, but the sound effects are in the same celestial style as the rest of the game. The puzzles don't have any sound at all, except a chiming sound when you solve them. The show-stealer is the celestial card game, both graphically and sonically. The whole game has a kind of a Zen or a Buddhist vibe to it. I remember staying up late playing the card game, almost in a trance. The sound effects are relaxing. The overall package is aiming for the same effect.
Puzzle fans should not miss out. This is a good game for all skill levels. Casual puzzlers will not have a problem finding something they like, while the puzzle pros will want to stick it out and solve everything the game throws at them. I never managed to complete it all, but there must be a good 15-20 hours worth of puzzling to complete the game 100%. Heaven and Earth definitely gives you your money's worth.
