Doctor Who infinity
A flawed gem
released OUT NOW! Writers George Mann, Gary russell, scott Handcock Reviewed on PC Publisher Tiny rebel Games
videogame We don’t have time to explore why Doctor Who games rarely hit the mark; it’s just the way things are. However, Doctor Who: Legacy has succeeded by taking a match-three puzzle game and Who-ifying it. So why mess with a formula everyone already knows and enjoys?
Doctor Who Infinity is all about match-three puzzles, but this time they’re wrapped in a set of full-length adventures – “The Dalek Adventure Of Time” kicks things off, then you can buy further episodes – penned by proper writers, illustrated by comic artists and voiced by the likes of Katy Manning, Michelle Gomez and Ingrid Oliver. They’re a strong blend of comic and audiobook, punctuated by puzzle sequences with the regularity of classic series cliffhangers.
There’s barely a plot point, from Missy needing to capture a Dalek through to Bessie’s engine problems, that cannot be addressed by lining up coloured gems. Each puzzle features a variation on the theme; these are often complex, and unfortunately Doctor Who Infinity doesn’t always explain them as well as it could, inevitably leading to frustration as you try everything until you stumble upon the right way of doing it so that you can progress with the story.
If you can’t get on with such puzzles then Doctor Who Infinity is guaranteed to infuriate you and languish unfinished until the end of time. But if you’re prepared to persist with some frankly fiendish challenges, Infinity rewards you with some cracking storytelling. It’s not an entirely comfortable mix, but it works better than most Doctor Who games. Jim McCauley
Its matchthree puzzles are wrapped in full-length adventures
Former script editor Gary Russell wrote “The Orphans Of The Polyoptra”; he says it’s his final Doctor Who story.