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7 Wonders II is a puzzle game that released on the Nintendo DS in 2009. The game was ported to DSiWare in 2012. This game is a DS counterpart of the 7 Wonders II video game from the 7 Wonders series on the PC. This is the 2nd game related to the 7 Wonders PC series on the DS. There was one other 7 Wonders game before this one released on the DS called 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and one after game on the DS called 7 Wonders: Treasures of Seven.
Gameplay[]
General Gameplay[]
7 Wonders on the PC and on the DS is a puzzle game series where you have to match 3 or more similar runes in a row to get points and clear obstacles. As you clear blocks by matching a rune on the same space the block is on, these blocks will be sent up to some people on the top screen. Then these people will move these blocks to build an ancient building or wonder. The faster you clear the blocks, the more people will appear to build. This is the gimmick of the 7 wonders franchise. After earning enough score and clearing enough normal blocks, special blocks called cornerstones will appear which take up their own space like a rune. These can only be moved by removing pieces underneath it to move it down the game board. Once it reaches the bottom of the game board it will be moved up to the people on the top screen the same way a normal block is. Once you have collected enough cornerstones the level will end.
Match 4[]
If you match 4 runes in a row then it will create a special piece called an ice ball which when swapped with another piece will earn bonus points and it will clear all pieces to the left and right (horizontal row) of the ice ball. This has the same function as the lightning ball in the previous DS game just under a different name. If there is a gap in the game board then the effect wont go through the gap and instead will stop at the gap.
Match 5[]
If you match 5 runes in a row then it will create a special piece called a fire ball which when swapped with another piece will earn bonus points and it will clear all pieces to the left, right, up and down (horizontal row and vertical row) of the fire ball. This is the same as the previous DS game in the series. If there is a gap in the game board then the effect wont go through the gap and instead will stop at the gap.
Dice Bonus[]
After matching several fire or ice balls, you will earn a special piece (an orange dice with no name mentioned except "dice bonus") which when swapped with another piece will make 15-20 random runes around the game board disappear. This has the same function as the Extra Bonus from the previous game just with a different appearance and name.
Gemstones and Hidden Map Pieces[]
Sometimes a Gemstone will appear which looks like a coloured outline around the square space with the rune in it on the game board. If you match some runes with the same colour as the Gemstone on the same square as the Gemstone then the Gemstone will disappear and you will be given bonus points and a collectable Hidden Map piece. This is a new feature to this game and isn't in the previous game. The Hidden Map pieces are a bonus collectable and are not required to beat stages.
Secret Challenge Level[]
If you collect enough Hidden Map pieces then you will enter a Secret Challenge Level. This a special stage of its own where you have limited moves to move a map piece to the bottom of the game board by matching runes underneath it like with a cornerstone piece. If you successfully finish the Secret Challenge Level you will get bonus points and sometimes you can win a new Bonus badge. This is a new feature and not in the previous game.
Shuffle[]
This game has a shuffle option to shuffle the order of the rune pieces if you get stuck which is unlocked after receiving enough points. This is new to this game and isn't in the previous game.
Building Wonders and Bonus Badges[]
At the end of a stage you will be taken to another screen where you can tap squares to use the cornerstone pieces you have earned to build the wonder. Depending on where you build you might receive extra bonuses such as extra points and special Bonus badges (named Bonuses in game and look like shiny badges) which when equipped add different effects. Only when all of these squares have been built does the area finish and you can move onto the next wonder to build. The chosen Bonus badge will activate on a stage after collecting a certain amount of normal blocks and then you can activate it to use its effect. This a new feature to this game and wasn't in the previous game.
Development[]
Reception[]
Public reception of this game seems pretty positive with GameFAQ having an average of 3.4/5 but with 25% 4/5 stars and 20% 5/5.
Critics rated it lower but still come out above average. Nintendo Life gave it a 6/10 but criticized it for being too similar to its predecessor stating "7 Wonders II is an aesthetic improvement over the original with a few added complexities that don't make much of a difference overall. The fault of this title is the same as that of its predecessor: focusing on certain spots to clear in a Bejeweled- style game leaves too much up to chance. Still, when it works, it's a lot of fun, even though altogether it doesn't rise above the status of decent, generic casual clone.".
Cubed3 rated it 6/10 but gave it a more positive review stating "The original 7 Wonders was addictive as it was, but its sequel manages to surpass it,". Game Chronicles gave it a 6.3/10 stating "Obviously, if you own any of the similar titles mentioned earlier in the review you can pretty much pass this one up, as there is really nothing here that you have not seen. Then again, if you are one of the few newbies to the match-3 gameplay, or better yet a true fiend of the games who just can’t get enough – well, 7 Wonders II certainly delivers the exciting gameplay that comes from this genre, and the price is right.".
Soundtrack OST[]
- See here for a page with all the tracks.
Track List[]
Credits[]
See the 7 Wonders II videos page for a video of the in-game credits.
Original Concept By[]
Matt Lichtenwalter
Ilya Plyusnin
Alexander Vedeneev
Konstantin Zavoloka
Game Design[]
Matt Lichtenwalter
Ilya Plyusnin
Alexander Vedeneev
Konstantin Zavoloka
Art Director / Art Lead - Kirill Korneev[]
Art and Animation[]
Simeon Bozhedai
Roman Chubov
Programming Lead - Vladimir Milkin[]
Programming[]
Mike Rozhkov
John Goncharuk
Sound and Music - Vasiliy Shestovets[]
QA Supervisors[]
Stanislav Yudin
Joshua Spigener
QA Testers - Alexey Karpyshev[]
Producer - Alexander Vedeneev[]
Associate Producer - David Shepherd[]
MumboJumbo Management[]
Chief Strategy Officer - Ron Dimant[]
Chief Executive Officer - Mark Cottam[]
Vice President of Product Development - Matt Lichtenwalter[]
Creative Director - Robert M. Atkins[]
Director of Game Design - John Newcomer[]
Studio Manager - Ilya Plyusnin[]
Sourced and written as seen from in-game credits
External links[]
- 7 Wonders II at GameFAQs
- 7 Wonders II at MobyGames
- 7 Wonders II at NintendoLife.com
- 7 Wonders II at Jeuxvideo.com
- 7 Wonders II at Game Chronicles
- 7 Wonders II at Cubed3
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