Dr. Adrien (2020 video game)

Dr. Adrien (2020 video game) (エイドリアン博士) (stylized as DR. Adrien) is a 2020 action puzzle video game developed by Black Forest Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in association with Cartoon Network Games released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows PC consoles on July 27, 2020. The game is produced by and designed by Turner Networks Japan K.K. and the game's soundtrack was composed by ADRIEN Project Music Team. The mobile counterpart of the game is developed and published by HandyGames in collaboration with Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. will be released for Android and iOS mobile platforms in next month after console versions release.

In this falling block puzzle game, the player's objective is to destroy the viruses populating the on-screen playing field by using colored capsules that are tossed into the field by Adrien and his buddies, who assumes the role of a doctors. The player manipulates each capsule as it falls, with the goal being to align similar colors which removes the viruses. The player progresses through the game by eliminating all the viruses on the screen in each level.

Premise
The city of Raleighopolis is being invaded by a horde of viruses of various colors. To save the Kingdom, Adrien, Nathan, Marinette, and Doctor Ivan Drakken must don lab coats and defeat the viruses by destroying them with capsules of the same color as the viruses. Along the way, they are joined by the other characters from the Adrien franchise—including Barnaby, Garfield, Brock, Katie, Alya, Kiawe, Serena, Sabrina, Blondie, Chloe, Nino, Mallow, Clemont, Terra, Kaldur'ahm, Victor, Robin, Raven, Dawn, Koriand'r, Zee, Luka, Go, Koharu, Doc Croft, Amanda and Cynthia —as they complete puzzles spanning multiple worlds across the world.

Gameplay
The gameplay for Dr. Adrien is very similar to prior Nintendo's Dr. Mario and King.com Limited's Candy Crush Saga videogames, It's definitely a "match three" game where the player removes viruses from the screen by matching their colors with that of a pill capsule. The player orients a single pill capsule against an array of viruses and obstacles. As the pill begins to drift upwards, the player can rotate and horizontally move the pill such that, when settled, the pill's color will match at least two similarly colored viruses in a vertical or horizontal direction. The level is complete when all viruses are removed.

The player is able to float multiple pills at once and even drag pills through obstacles to specific positions as long as the pill feasibly fits. Later levels add additional elements, such as shielded viruses and destructible blocks to complicate the removal of viruses. Other levels have additional requirements for completion, such as extracting hidden coins from blocks.

Upon filling a "skill meter", the player can activate a special ability once or twice in each level. Different special abilities are associated with the game's playable characters. For example, Dr. Adrien can remove the entire bottom row on the game screen, Dr. Nathan removes three on-screen items at random, and Dr. Marinette can remove a full column. The player can also purchase power-ups through real-money microtransactions to instantaneously fill the skill meter. At the time of launch, ten playable characters are available, with Dr. Adrien as the default character. Following the completion of the first five stages, the player may choose to continue using Dr. Adrien, or they may elect to switch to either Dr. Marinette or Dr. Drakken. Players are also given the option to enlist "assistants" that provide the player with benefits during gameplay; for example, Drakkenik grants the player a 10% chance of earning an additional 3 seconds in timed stages, and the Airsailors grants 50 bonus points for each remaining capsule at the conclusion of a stage. Additional doctors and assistants are acquired at random using either coins accumulated during gameplay or diamonds purchased with real-world currency.

The game is monetized through timers, currencies, and purchasable digital items. For example, the player uses "hearts" to play a level, which replenish over time. The player can use coins and diamonds to purchase new characters/abilities, power-ups, and bonus pill capsules. The player receives coins for completing daily activities. Only in the Mobile versions, The Diamonds packs are purchased in exchange for real-world money through the app store.

The game has a simple single-player campaign and a "versus" multiplayer mode. It also requires a constant Internet connection on the mobile counterpart of the game.

Development
Dr. Adrien was produced and designed by Turner Networks Japan K.K., creator of the Cartoon Network's Adrien franchise. The game's music is mainly used in gameplay.

The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC home console platforms in 59 territories on this summer. The mobile version of the game will be released for Android and iOS mobile platforms in the late summer.

Trivia

 * There are three Dr. Adrien prototypes named Virus.
 * An Dr. Mario-inspired interview with Turner Networks Japan K.K. confirmed that Dr. Adrien is not a legitimate doctor.