Gameplay

In a manner and style considered similar to Tetris, the player manipulates each capsule as it vertically falls 1 unit of space at a time, able to move it left or right and rotate it 90 degrees in either clockwise or counter-clockwise. When four or more capsule halves or viruses of matching color are aligned in vertical or horizontal configurations, they are removed from play. Any remaining capsule halves or whole capsules which are now not supported by a virus or capsule will fall to the bottom of the playing field or until it hits another supported object, and any new 4-in-a-row alignments created from this will also be removed. The main objective is to complete levels, which is accomplished by eliminating all viruses from the playing field. A game over occurs if capsules fill up the playing field in a way that obstructs the bottle's narrow neck. After each 5th level is completed on Medium or High difficulty, up to level 20, a cut-scene is shown where the virus trio is sitting on a tree as music plays and an object flies across the screen.

Players are first brought to the options screen, where the starting level, game speed, and music can be chosen. The initial level chosen is a value between zero and twenty that determines the number of viruses to clear, and the three-game speed options change how fast the capsules fall within the bottle. The player's score is based solely on the elimination of viruses and the chosen game speed, with bonus points for clearing more than 1 in a single line. There is no fixed end to the game (players may continue progressing through levels and accumulating points even after beating level 20), though beating level 24 takes players back to level 24. Oddly, levels 20 and 21 have the same number of viruses; however, the virus count does increase further in levels 22, 23, and 24.

Dr. Luigi offers a multiplayer gaming mode in which two players compete against each other in separate playing fields. In this mode, the player's goal is to clear their own playing field of viruses before the other player does. Eliminating multiple viruses or initiating chain reactions can cause additional capsules to fall onto the opponent's playing field. A player wins a single game upon eliminating all the viruses or if the other playing field fills up. The first player to win three games wins overall.

Reception

Scott Thompson of IGN rated the game as "good" (7.5/10). He praised the game's additions to the Dr. Mario formula, particularly the "Operation L" gameplay mode. Thompson highlighted the music remixes and online connectivity, but found its actual matchmaking and two-player limit for each match lackluster.

Notes

References