Polarium

"A monochromatic blast!"

I had seen about Polarium 2 weeks prior to its release. I watched videos online and read reviews on it in magazines. I was very eager about the release of this game. When it finally did come to its release date, I went and purchased it. A very nice purchase, if I say so myself. Why is it a nice purchase? Allow me to explain.

Graphics
Very basic, but very crisp, too. It's a smooth looking game. Seriously, what do you expect out of a puzzle game on a handheld? The colors are limited in the game. Black and white tiles, a yellow line you draw with the stylus, some blue is found on some buttons in-game, too. That's about it for colors.

Sound
The sound is really lacking. The music during the puzzles just throws off your thinking process, and the sound the game makes when you make a line is none too appealing, either. About the only sound I enjoy hearing is the sound of victory when you complete a puzzle.

Layout
I personally love how this game is set up. The game opens with an optional tutorial, that I recommend everyone to accept. It tells you the game's basic idea and controls, what you can and cannot do, as well as tips and hints for puzzles. The menu is good, in how it is viewed and worked. The four modes are shown on the top and bottom of the touch screen, 2 on each. Challenge, Puzzle, Versus, and Lounge. Challenge and Puzzle are you playing solo, Versus is, of course, for multiplayer action, and Lounge is for the Tutorial, the settings, and the wireless link needed to send the demo to another DS, needed for single cart multiplayer. A very neat feature exists within Polarium, which is, when you get a high score in challenge mode, you draw in what you want to be beside the score. You get a small blank box and you can fill it in. I think that is very cool.

Gameplay
The bread and butter of the game. Your object in this game is to make horizontal lines of tiles all one color with your stylus. Whether it's black or white, that is up to you. To flip the tiles, simply move the stylus along the touchscreen to form a line, then tap the line to flip the tiles. There are 2 game modes, Challenge and Puzzle. In Challenge, lines fall down in a Tetris-esque fashion and it is your job to make the lines go away by drawing your line to flip the tiles. In Puzzle, there are 100 puzzles for you to solve. You start with 10 puzzles. Each time you complete the 10, you are given 10 more. Complete the new 10 to receive 10 more, and so on. There's just one catch. You must solve every puzzle in just one line. This causes for some frustrating, brain-bending puzzles that are disgustingly addictive.

Multiplayer
In single cart multiplayer, you can send your opponent a demo of Polarium, via the Lounge part of the main menu, which will stay on his or her DS until it is powered off. In the demo multiplayer, each player is given so many tiles at the start. With each line you clear, the colors reverse and go to your opponent's side, which is shown on the top screen. Fill up your opponent's play area and you win! There is also a dual cart multiplayer, but I won't get into that since I have never played it.

Puzzle Editor
You can create your own puzzles and send them to a friend via wireless link. The puzzles you create can vary in size and can look however you want. Not only do you create the puzzle, you must also find a way to solve it, that way it is for sure known that it is a possible puzzle. There is a lot of fun in doing this. You can give your puzzles a password, which is how they are traded.

Rent or buy?
Purchase this if you enjoy mind-numbingly fun puzzles that are no walk in the park. This game has infinite fun to it with its features. I do hope you enjoy. Happy flipping.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/05