Polarium, the newest addition to the expanding lineup of puzzlers for the DS, is really three games in one. It is a falling block game, but without the infinite addictiveness of Tetris. It's also a short but devious set of mind-bending puzzles. Finally, it's a multiplayer game that can only exist on the DS. Individually each of these is fun, but do they join together to form a cohesive game worth paying full price for?Polarium's core design is as basic as games get. Arrayed on the screen is a grid of square tiles, each either white or black. Drawing a line across tiles with the stylus selects them, and tapping again on the last highlighted tile makes all of the selected tiles reverse color. Turning a horizontal row to a solid color, either black or white, makes that line disappear. Though it may be possible to clear a screen by tapping on individual tiles a few at a time, the true feeling of grace and accomplishment is only achieved when one looping, twisting line is able to clear the entire screen.

That synopsis describes the bulk of gameplay, including the entire puzzle mode. Puzzle mode is the most intriguing section of the game. One hundred patterns of black and white tiles await challengers, most with a single elegant way to drag the stylus through and complete the round. For those who enjoy banging their heads against difficult challenges, there is little better in life than these arrays of little squares. The rest of us will enjoy the available mental crutches, including hints on every puzzle and a replay of the last failed attempt.

Unfortunately, diligent players will exhaust the 100 static puzzles far too quickly. That leaves the challenge mode, with its blistering difficulty and unrelenting rain of tiles. Challenges in this mode begin with a simple array of tiles to be cleared from the screen. As soon as those are out of the way, another few layers of tiles fall from the top of the screens, then another and another-eventually burying the player and ending the game. Preset patterns of tiles drop in random order, and before long the stylus seems to have a mind of its own as it drags its way through patterns it has solved before. The challenge doesn't come from the patterns themselves, but instead from the sheer mass of layers and the ever-increasing speed at which they appear. Challenge mode includes 10 levels, and only those with lightning-fast hands will see them all. The true challenge here is to beat previous high scores, as points are given not only for clearing rows, but also for clearing them in the largest groups with the smallest number of stylus strokes.

Since it relies more on reflexes and pattern memorization than problem solving, many will burn out on challenge mode. There is still hope, however, in the form of multiplayer. Head-to-head matches are similar to challenge mode, with cleared rows adding to the other player's pile. Even with a few power-ups thrown in to speed up or slow down the progression of tiles, multiplayer matches will range from long slugfests to impressive victories that are over in seconds. Even better-in a move DS owners everywhere should applaud-only one copy of the game is required to play a two-player match.

It is obvious that many original ideas went into the design of Polarium. High scores aren't marked by the standard set of player's initials, but instead by a small black and white drawing. It is also possible to augment the puzzle mode's set of patterns with custom-made sets and trade them via the wireless connection or a painfully long password. However, these unique ideas seem a bit wasted on a game that just doesn't have enough content to hold a gamer's attention long enough to appreciate them. A back-to-basics design philosophy is to be applauded, but for those who want to make the most of their dual-screened platform, forgettable music and black-and-white graphics likely won't be enough to keep this game from finding a home on the shelf. As it is, Polarium is a very interesting demonstration of the DS's capabilities, but it is not exactly a worthy successor to the classic puzzle games of the past.

Apr 18, 2005 | 0 comments
Robert Franklin