Blob shifting puzzlers arrives on Wii
Moving a mercury blob around a maze full of obstacles doesn't sound like the most enthralling videogame in the world, but that didn't stop the puzzle game, Mercury Meltdown, being a hit on PSP last year. An enhanced version of the game, Mercury Meltdown Remix was also released on PS2 last year, and despite it fairing averagely amongst the critics, there's just something about puzzle games that keeps certain gamers coming back time and time again. When I originally played Mercury Meltdown Remix, which incidentally I was addicted to for a good few weeks, I couldn't help thinking that this type of puzzle game would be far more fun to play on Wii, where the Wii-mote could be used to enhance the gameplay significantly. Lo and behold, Meltdown Mercury Revolution is now heading to Wii and is due for release on June 8th.
The core gameplay dynamics of the Mercury Meltdown series are all still in place, but the series has been enhanced for Wii, with sharper graphics (not really necessary for a puzzle game), 480p support and a number of new game modes, including un-lockable party games which can be played with a friend.
Mercury Meltdown Remix involves navigating a liquid blob of mercury through a number of tricky mazes that increase in difficulty as you progress. The idea is to tilt the playing area with your Wii-mote to tease the blob around the level in order to reach its end goal (finishing pad). Remember that old-fashioned wooden labyrinth game where you had to maneuver a ball bearing to the end of the maze? Well, Mercury Meltdown Revolution is extremely similar, but with over 150 levels, which boast some extremely difficult obstacles to bypass and dozens of well designed levels, it's certainly not as boring as it sounds; in fact it's extremely challenging and painfully addictive.
The idea of Mercury Meltdown Revolution is a simple one, but the developers, Ignition Banbury, have cleverly designed each maze to ensure that you need to use a logical approach to complete each level. The game is extremely mentally challenging, but you also need to have an extremely steady hand throughout; the mixture of inventive hazards, the spontaneous movements of the blob and the excellent puzzle elements make it an addictive test of logic and skill.