Economical Gamer

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen these days. Their simplicity and addictiveness make them ideal for the pick up and play mentality that casual gamers possess. Originally starting on the Playstation Portable, the Mercury series finds its true home on the Nintendo Wii in Mercury Meltdown Revolution thanks to the Wiimote controls, but at times the game feels lacking when played on a home console. 

Mercury Meltdown on the Wii continues the series tradition of blob rolling that has made it popular among PSP owners. In the move to the Wii, some improvements have been made such as 480p resolution, 16:9 widescreen and multiple control options. These small upgrades don’t change the game mechanics, but are all the more welcome to help the game stand out.

Even before the release of the first Mercury title there were plans for motion controlled gameplay, however those plans fell through early on. Now gamers are able to experience Mercury Meltdown the way it was originally imagined. While holding the Wiimote sideways, you tilt the remote to control the game level and roll your blob of mercury through numerous obstacles in order to reach the goal. Controls feel precise and intuitive, meaning you never feel like the game is cheating you when you fail a stage.

Apart from adding 480p support, Mercury Meltdown does nothing to take advantage of the Wii and its graphical abilities. The cartoon-ish flare featured in the game works thanks to some heavy lines and bright colours though and is pleasing to look at. That doesn’t give the game permission to bore gamers with dull repetitive tracks playing over every stage that are made to be forgotten by the time you put the game down.

In terms of reply value, Mercury Meltdown, like all puzzle games delivers. With over 150 puzzles, local (sorry, no online) leaderboards and a small handful of ‘party games’ there is enough to satisfy hardcore puzzle fans for a few hours. At the same time however, it is evident that the game may be better suited to a cheaper digital online store. While there is enough here to entertain you for at least a few days, you can’t break the thought that this is merely a selection of simplistic (if addictive) puzzles.

Mercury Meltdown is far from a bad game; in fact it could teach some other developers a thing or two about how to make games around the Wiimote. But these days it is hard for a game like Mercury Meltdown Revolution to stand out, which dooms it to a life of obscurity and bargain bins. Maybe in the future Ignition could take a second shot on the Wii with some online scoreboards, competitive multiplayer and maybe even a level editor. Even without these awesome ideas, Mercury Meltdown Revolution is still worth looking into for fans of challenging puzzles.

Platform reviewed: Wii

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