Polarium

"It only lasts so long..."

Polarium helps to signify the idea that the puzzle genre has been seeing something of a rebirth with the coming of the PSP and DS handhelds. With some unique and innovative puzzle games coming out, such as Lumines, Mercury, Meteos and of course this game, some would call it a successful regeneration. And that's true. I like puzzle games, as I think they can be ways of reducing an incredibly fun and addictive idea into its most basic of forms – Tetris is the perfect example of this. And when a puzzle game comes up with a fun, new, addictive idea that can really hook players, it can be successful. Polarium is a nice idea that puts the DS's hardware to good use, but fails to offer an addictive and lasting-lasting experience to hold it up with.

Polarium is a very simple idea. You're presented with a “play field” of colored tiles that are all either black or white on the bottom screen of the DS. You've got to use the stylus to draw a single line connecting these tiles. When the line passes over a tile, that tile will flip and become the opposite color. So, if a black tile is drawn over, it becomes white. Also, there's a single “layer” of gray tiles surrounding the play field. These tiles can't be flipped, but rather can be used to bring the line to other places on the field. When a single layer of tiles becomes entirely the same color, it disappears from the play field. The object, then, is to delete as many layers of tiles as you can with a single line.

This concept is split into two different game modes. There's Challenge Mode, in which players delete tiles as layers of them continuously fall in an intense and somewhat Tetris-style “falling blocks” mode. And then there's Puzzle Mode, in which you're given a hundred puzzles – that is, you're given sets of black and white tiles, and you've got to clear them with a single line on the touch screen. There's also the Versus Mode, in which you can play against your friends (that is, if you, at this point, have any friends with a DS), as well as a lounge, in which you can create your own puzzles, play with the options or go through a very adequate tutorial to learn how to play.

Puzzle Mode is generally the place where I got the most fun. This mode, like I said, gives you a hundred puzzles that you must clear with a single line. You always have to keep in mind, though, that you don't necessarily have to make every tile on the play field a single color – usually, that's not even possible. However, you do have to make every horizontal layer the same color, which can cause some truly head-scratching moments. Some of the puzzles revolve around some sort of pattern that must be followed in various segments. Other times, a puzzle will have multiple ways of clearing it, and it's up to the player how they want to tackle each individual puzzle. Needless to say, this is probably the best mode in the game.

The mode does have its fair share of problems, however. For one thing, the one hundred puzzles are given to the player in sets of ten. So, if they want to unlock the next set of ten puzzles, they've got to complete the previous set of ten puzzles. How is this a problem? Because it hurts the pacing of the mode. Usually, every set of puzzles has a couple of easy ones, several moderate ones and a few very difficult ones. And since you need to complete EVERY puzzle in order to unlock the next set, you'll often times be stuck on one single puzzle. And I never liked to spend too much time on a single puzzle (fear of overloading my brain), so it's slow. Also, the simple truth is that while the idea of a hundred puzzles sounds like a truckload, it's really not that many. And it's not like you'll be going back to solve puzzles you've already cleared.

Thankfully, though, the game allows you to create your very own puzzles, much like Sega's Chu Chu Rocket on GBA. The mode that allows you to create these puzzles is very simple and easy to use, and you can store up to fifty of them on your own cartridge. After you do that, you can then swap them with a friend who has a Polarium cartridge (good luck), give them to a friend to try out on your own system, or just forget the solutions and try to stump yourself. It's a very nice feature, especially if you have a friend who's a big Polarium fan (hold onto that person dearly and never let go), and it's a good way to see for yourself if you've got what it takes to fool other people.

And then we have Challenge Mode. This is where things get tricky and fairly boring as well. In the simple flip-as-many-tiles-as-you-can-with-a-single-line formula, you've got to clear layers of tiles as they fall from above. The idea here is for you to see a pattern as it's falling, draw the necessary line (most simple patterns can be cleared with a single, careful line) and enter it just when the tiles land so you get bonus points, and the game progresses quickly (not to mention that quick playing will prevent tiles from piling up). The game progresses through ten or so skill levels, with sets of tiles coming faster and in tougher patterns than before. It's a very sound concept that seems like the makings for a decent puzzle game, yes?

The problem is that the first few levels of the mode move from one to the next very slowly, and there are very few patterns for each. Meaning that when you go through the first few skill levels (which you must do every time you start to get to the higher and admittedly more interesting levels of the mode), you'll basically be handling the exact same patterns over and over again. Whereas it would be interesting to see the game make up random patterns (or at least more of them altogether), the process would feel more random and offer more variety to the game. Thankfully, it does pick up after the first few levels, which is nice. However, at that point, the game makes the jump from amazingly easy to excruciatingly difficult, not to mention that you have to go through the dull first few levels to get there. The obvious overall problem is that every time you play, you have to sit through the first five or ten boring minutes, and by the time you get to the interesting part, you won't last long.

From a technical standpoint, Polarium isn't bad, it's just nothing particularly special. The menus are very high-tech feeling but also very simple and are set with the game's black and white theme. The graphics are really nothing a Game Boy Color couldn't have done. It's not that I go into puzzle games expecting to see some sort of awe-inspiring 3D effects, but the no-frills design comes off as a bit blah, in fact. That's not a huge problem, because the game is really just a sum of black, white and gray with a few occasional hints of colors here and there, and that's how the developers wanted it. Sound is also sub-par – not bad, just nothing special. The techno-style music is passable and the click-click-click of the lines being drawn fits in and doesn't get annoying. All this, added with the mixed-bag gameplay, makes for a game that's not bad but not that good either.

Pros

+ A puzzle game that makes good use of the touch screen.
+ Interesting concept is fun for a while.
+ Puzzle Mode has a hundred puzzles of varying difficulties.
+ You can create your own puzzles and send them to your friends.
+ Challenge Mode can be fun once it picks up.
+ Some decent multiplayer options.

Cons

- Graphics, sound and presentation are all nothing special.
- Challenge Mode can be repetitive, and gets very difficult.
- A hundred puzzles really isn't that much.
- The overall fun factor eventually wears thin.

Overall: 5/10

Polarium isn't a bad game, it's just an interesting puzzle game that's missing the one thing that all puzzle games should have – the ability to addict the player. Unlike games such as, oh, Tetris, I can't really see myself playing this one for hours at a time. I also can't imagine myself seeing Polarium tiles when I try to go to sleep at night. It's a sound concept for a while and diehard puzzle fanatics will enjoy the unique play style that the game puts forward, but in all honesty I wasn't addicted. And now that Meteos has come out for DS and has taken its place as the new puzzle game king of this generation, I can't really see myself ever going back to play Polarium again unless I'm very, very bored.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/05, Updated 07/25/05