Polarium (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

It's unlikely that as a DS owner you've not heard of Polarium. Fuelled by its success in Japan and a US gaming community still waiting an official release the latest handheld puzzler is fast becoming a 'must have' touch screen experience. Its unique simplicity and addictive gameplay have enchanted every gamer who's encountered it, rather like Tetris. We've already wasted hours on Zoo Keeper and the release of Meteos is fast approaching so is Polarium another classic time waster? Read on and see...

Gameplay

We've already mentioned that Polarium is simple and while the game mechanics are just that, actually solving the puzzles is another matter. Your main objective is to turn a series of blocks in order to make them the same color as the majority of the grid and thus cancel them out. This can be achieved by drawing lines over the required area, or even touching individual blocks, although the single line is quicker and far more effective. There's even a grey area that surrounds the play area constantly, and while this can be used at any time it will compromise your effectiveness and so lower your overall score. If all this sounds a little too easy we can assure you it's not, thanks to the very different modes you have to play in.

The first of these is the Challenge Mode which is set in a kind of Tetris environment with a series of ever more complicated blocks tumbling down which need clearing as quickly as possible. Concentration is key here as one wrong 'flip' could have you instantly doomed. This is all then converted into a score and a grade although we've yet to better a C-. The Puzzle Mode is a much more taxing affair with the objective here being to clear the area in a single stroke. This gets progressively more difficult although help, such as the start point or the ability to indicate a previously attempted route, is available in the top screen. After you've exhausted these there's still the Lounge which not only allows you to create your own puzzles but also, thanks to the wi-fi functionality, to swap them with friends and also beam a demo version of the game to other DS users. This can also be used for the fantastic two-player mode allowing for even more gameplay possibilities.

Controls

Other than actually starting your DS with the 'on' button this is all touch screen so head down to the 'Dual Screen Use' section to see what's going on.

Graphics

I'm not sure if there has ever been a handheld title so devoid of design or color. This is black, white and grey all poured into a uniform grid with menus providing an incredibly formal front end. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a serious application rather than an entertainment title on start up, but rest assured everything does its job perfectly and after only an hour or so you'll be applauding the clear layout.

Sound

Almost non-existent although it's hard to see just how a killer soundtrack would in any way enhance the gameplay. What we have though are a variety of sounds that are activated whenever you interact with the screen. It?s not terribly exciting but it does indicate that you're at least attempting to play the game.

Dual screen

It's as if Polarium is the result of a series of brainstorming sessions on the design of a puzzler to best use the unique interface that the DS has to offer and after spending only a short time with this puzzler you'll realize that this game is unlikely to appear on any other gaming system. This is because it's solely controlled by the stylus with the buttons completely redundant. You are also given the opportunity to enter a tutorial on start up, which is worth visiting at least once although a little more explanation regarding the puzzle section is required.

Final comments

Like many of the mini-games available on Mario 64 DS, Polarium could only ever appear on Nintendo's new system and in the tradition of great puzzlers you're likely to waste hours, days or even weeks trying to beat your last high score. Put simply, Polarium is addictive, very addictive and its instant accessibility will no doubt win over many gamers who have been a little disappointed with the DS launch games so far, viewing them as merely enhanced GBA titles rather than any truly progressive entertainment. It's also likely to tax your brain like the higher levels of Tetris or those maths classes that may as well have been written in an alien language for all the sense they made. Even with its obvious merits though it's not going to appeal to everyone but if you've just beaten Zoo Keeper or even mastered the GameBoy Classic Tetris, then this should probably be your next stop.

Pro: Incredibly Addictive.
Con: Too Difficult At Times.
Final score: 7.5

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