Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

ViColumn offers a straightforward yet deeply engaging puzzle experience that hearkens back to the arcade days of heaping Tetris-like thrills into short, addictive bursts. Blocks of three vertically arranged colours—chosen from a modest palette of four—descend steadily from the top of the screen. The player’s sole task is to rotate each triplet and position it on the stack below to form horizontal or vertical matches of at least three identical colours. This simple premise belies a surprising depth: mastering the art of planting future chain reactions can make the difference between clearing the board and watching it fill up in mere seconds.

One of the most compelling aspects of ViColumn’s gameplay is the satisfaction of timing. As blocks speed up over time, every rotation and lateral shift becomes more urgent. The absence of diagonal matching—which is a departure from Sega’s original Columns—forces you to think strictly in rows and columns. While purists might miss the diagonal mechanic, this limitation actually sharpens the challenge, pushing players to innovate new strategies within a tighter rule set.

Controls are crisp and responsive on the VIC-20’s chiclet keys (or via joystick, if you prefer). Each button press to rotate or move the falling block feels immediate, so there’s almost zero input lag when the pace picks up. For newcomers, the early levels act as a gentle tutorial, but before long you’ll be scrambling to keep your wits about you in higher-speed rounds. The learning curve is forgiving initially, then ramps up just enough to keep both casual players and die-hard puzzle fans invested.

Graphics

True to the VIC-20’s hardware limitations, ViColumn embraces a retro aesthetic that charms rather than distracts. The visual style is minimal, using just four vivid colours for the blocks against a crisp black background. This simplified palette ensures that each block stands out clearly, which is crucial when you’re trying to align multiple colours at breakneck speed. There are no fancy animations or frills—only solid, blocky visuals that maintain a rock-steady frame rate.

On the VIC-20 screen, the 22-column-by-23-row playfield is perfectly readable even on composite video outputs. You’ll never question whether a match was valid or not: if three blocks of the same colour line up, they vanish in a quick but satisfying pixel burst. While the lack of diagonal recognition might seem like a graphical omission, it’s purely a gameplay decision and doesn’t compromise the presentation.

Ambient details like a blinking score display and a simple level indicator round out the package. There’s no parallax scrolling or particle effects, but that’s not the point. ViColumn delivers clarity and consistency—two essentials for a puzzle game where split-second decisions can make or break your run. Nostalgists will appreciate the throwback CRT vibes, while newcomers will find the visual feedback direct and unambiguous.

Story

ViColumn doesn’t pretend to be more than a pure puzzle exercise, so don’t expect a branching narrative or a cast of colourful characters. There are no elaborate cutscenes or worldbuilding elements—just you, a stack of coloured blocks, and the goal of keeping them from piling up. In a way, the lack of story is a deliberate design choice: every moment is dedicated to strategic placement and the cerebral joy of chain reactions.

If you’re looking for lore or backstory, you won’t find it here. Instead, ViColumn’s “narrative” is written through gameplay tension. Each cleared line feels like a victory lap, and every near-failure serves as a turning point in your personal high-score saga. The progress indicator at the top of the screen subtly becomes your “plot advancement,” pushing you toward faster levels and tighter puzzles.

That said, ViColumn does hint at its heritage by nodding to Sega’s Columns in name and concept. A tiny copyright screen acknowledges the lineage, and the game’s title screen even features a retro-inspired logo sequence. These brief flourishes serve as a respectful wink to fans of the original arcade gem, grounding ViColumn in a classic puzzle tradition rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

Overall Experience

ViColumn is a masterclass in focused design. It takes the core appeal of Columns—the rhythmic drop of coloured blocks, the payoff of satisfying matches—and distills it down to its purest form for the VIC-20. The result is a game that’s approachable from the first minute but offers enough complexity to keep you coming back for repeated high-score runs. Whether you’re a retro enthusiast or a newcomer to vintage puzzle games, ViColumn’s blend of simplicity and depth is hard to resist.

One of the standout qualities is replayability. Without a narrative campaign or a finite set of levels, every play session becomes a personal best chase. You’ll find yourself refreshing the game repeatedly to outdo your previous chain reaction maxes and to see how long you can survive as the speed steadily ratchets up. This endless mode structure may feel familiar, but it works—especially when your only real competition is yourself.

In short, ViColumn proves that you can deliver a compelling puzzle experience within the VIC-20’s humble hardware constraints. Its crisp controls, clear visuals, and streamlined mechanics ensure every session is both thrilling and brain-teasing. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense, retro-flavoured puzzle game that respects your time and challenges your mind, ViColumn is easily worth adding to your cartridge library.

Retro Replay Score

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