Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness

"OK, I'm not going to make any egg-ceptional or egg-streme puns..."

Good puzzle games are few and far between. There have been a few throughout the years, Columns, Kurushi, Kula World (well, I liked that one anyway), and of course the legendary Tetris. However, speaking in terms of ratios, the bad seems to outweigh the good one hundred to one, 99% of puzzle games are ‘stinkers’. Egg Mania lies somewhere in the middle, it’s not a classic, and it’s far from terrible.

Graphics – 5
Puzzle games are not usually expected to thrill gamers graphically, and Egg Mania does not break tradition. While it doesn’t feel the need to employ the latest in 3D technology, the sprites are cute enough, and it isn’t bad looking at all. There are several stages, all of which have different designs on the blocks and the backdrops of the levels. The game features a lot of little eggy characters, with extra unlockable ones for doing well in the single player modes. The game is typically bright, even the gothic-themed stage seems slightly too brash. I like the fact that the sets of bricks are different for each stage, it does what it can to keep the player from getting bored. A disadvantage of these frequently changing visuals and bright colours is that the player can easily be distracted from the game itself, which can lead to a swift end to your run of form.

Sound – 4
Once again, puzzlers and sound don’t usually mix to any great extent. I remember playing Columns on my Sega Game Gear and thinking it was great to be able to choose between three different tunes to listen to. Egg Mania’s in-game music is, in a word, sickening. It is far too cutesy for my liking, and the only saving grace of the music is the ability to use your own. Sound effects are also rather cute, and overdone in my opinion.

Gameplay – 8
Now, this is where puzzle games need to do well. One can overlook the lousy visuals and/or sound if the game plays well, and leaves you wanting that ‘one-more-go’ feeling. The idea is to build up blocks of different shapes to the top of the screen and a waiting balloon to complete the level. The challenge comes in trying to balance your tower-building efforts between speed, and stability. If you stack the tower as quickly as possible and do not fill in the gaps, it will collapse, leaving you back where you started, and giving your opponent a great advantage. To add depth to the experience, there are a few power-ups which can be grabbed and either used on oneself, or on an opponent, such as bombs to hinder your enemy’s progress, cement to fill in gaps in your tower, and shoes to increase how high you can jump. If you invite a friend and play the game in two-player mode, it really comes into it’s own, and can be quite an enjoyable experience.

Lifespan – 7
In single player mode, once you’ve unlocked the extra characters, there’s not too much else you can do. However, if you play the game with friends it can last you quite a while, although still not as long as it should. It gets boring after a while, and you will likely find yourself wanting to trade it in.

Buy or rent?
I strongly suggest that anyone interested in this game rents it first. You will most likely be able to finish the single player mode and get tired of multiplayer in a week or so.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/03, Updated 01/02/03