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Ok game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 9
Date: April 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I just got polarium for the DS and i was a little disappointed. It is still a great game though!!! Ive always been a fan of puzzle games. The best part about this game is by far the Multiplayer. It's fast, competitive, and fun.

Challenging and Fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Finally, a decent game for the Nintendo DS. If you own a DS, you know one of the biggest problems with the system is the lack of available games. There are few to begin with, and of those available, several are disappointing. They have difficult control schemes, seem rushed to market, or just really don't have much lasting appeal. Polarium is a puzzle game, but it is a very good puzzle game. This is probably the best game of this type I've seen since Tetris. At first, it seems overly simple, but it soon becomes apparent how potentially challenging the game is. With three types of single person play, Polarium provides great game play variety with both a fast-paced challenge mode and a more leisurely puzzle mode. The game also allows you to create and save your own puzzles in puzzle mode. You can send these puzzles to other players with the wireless function of the DS, and there is also a wireless multi-player mode, but I have not tried either. Polarium has a lot of potential challenge and long-term playability, and makes great use of the touch screen features of the Nintendo DS. This is definitely a game that will extend the shelf life of your DS.

Black and white isn't always bad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a terrfic puzzle game. You use the stylus to create vertical and horizontal lines of one color. There are 100 puzzles to solve. All of which are fun. There is also a tetris-like game. As blocks fall make lines to clear as many as you can. For people who have visual-spacial problems (like myself) this game will probably be harder for you. Although by playing this you might get better about it. I strongly reccomend this game.

Just...can't...stop...PLAYING!!!!! (A multi-category review)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: May 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Puzzle games are supposed to be the most addictive games around, but this is ridiculous. On a full DS charge, I usually start playing this game and don't stop until the unit shuts itself out. Then I plug it in, think about it for a bit, then keep playing the unit while it's charging! Heck, my Super Mario 64 DS and Rayman DS copies are probably going to be sitting for a long time before I start playing either of them again.
I am giving up time playing Polarium right now to write this Multi-Category review, but despite the time shortage, I'll add on another category to my preexisting seven: a new Multiplayer category, because that area deserves special mention.
Read this review and start flipping the tiles.

PLOTLINE: Guide a weird golden geometric figure around a playing field full of black and white tiles to form a line around them, then tap the last tile in the line to flip all the tiles you drew over, hopefully forming solid-color horizontal rows that vanish and give you points. there are three main gameplay modes, and they are the fast-paced Challenge mode, the brain-twisting Puzzle mode, and the frantic fun of Versus mode. The game overall: simple, but challenging. RATING: 10

GRAPHICS: Like most puzzle games, this one clearly says, "Graphics, schmaphics." The great gameplay covers up this fact completely. Plus, with almost no colors other than black, gray, and white, this game is easy to see in almost any lighting situation. A vast contrast from the color-rich Rayman DS, in which the only place you can play it in is a closed closet. RATING: 8.5

SOUND: The sound effects are cool, and so is the background music. The music doesn't distract you in Puzzle mode, making it easier to clear out the more difficult situations. RATING: 9

CONTROL: I was a bit wary when the game's manual said it was completely stylus-driven (no buttons will work other than the obvious Power button), but a few minutes of gameplay demonstates that buttons would actually hinder this game. There are two ways to draw lines, and you can choose between sliding the stylus across the screen (drawing) or clicking each corner on the line in order. There are a few skeptics who may look at this game and say that the D-Pad could be another control option, but it's obvious that that would be a nightmare in something fast like Challenge or Versus. RATING: 10

MULTIPLAYER: If the game's single-player modes sparkle like a gem, then the multiplayer shines brighter than the sun. Versus mode is multicard play, so unlike Super Mario 64 DS, you can join with another Polarium player and start playing almost immediately. You can also create your own custom puzzles and trade them with other users who own the game. Got a friend who doesn't have the game? Then you can have them turn on their Download Play and send them a Polarium demo. The demo contains the full Tutorial, 10 puzzles, and the Versus mode option. The best part? You can then turn off your DS, leaving them to play their Polarium demo as long as their DS is on. Truly, Polarium's multiplayer is far superior to Super Mario 64 DS's. RATING: 10

GLITCHES: None. RATING: 10

ENTERTAINMENT: The puzzle game I've ever- I repeat, ever - played. RATING: 10

REPLAY VALUE: You can always get a higher score on Challenge, beat someone at Versus, or create or solve another puzzle. The Replay is practically infinite. RATING: 9.5

OVERALL RATING: 9.6

A FINAL WORD: Polarium is not only one of the best puzzle games ever, but it's also one of the best games on the DS. Get a copy today!

sweet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 10
Date: May 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

it is so fun. it makes you smarter really. it has 100 chalenging puzzles that you will be trying to figure out until your 50 years old. best puzzle game ever go to www.polarium.com

Best Puzzler for Nintendo DS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: May 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the best puzzler for the DS! :)

It's a simple, yet a fun game! :)

I give this game 5/5!

Pretty Good!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: June 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is really difficult. I don't like the game because it's all a puzzle. It depends on what gamer you are. If you are good at puzzles and have a DS,go out and buy this. If you're more of an Action player,you will not enjoy this.

How far can one line take you?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 20
Date: June 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Polarium melds players' stylus handling abilities with mind-bending challenges. In each of the modes, the task is to turn white tiles black and/or black tiles white, attempting to form horizontal lines of the same hue to remove them from play. To do this, it's all about drawing a line across the tile grid to flip the tiles to their polar opposites; the tiles that lay under the line you've drawn will go from white to black or black to white. Neutral gray titles are a "free pass" for players to continue their line without affecting any of the in-play tiles.

Polarium's meat is in its individual puzzle designs. There are 100 unique layouts that must be completed by removing all tiles from play in one single stroke of the stylus. Early on it's a cakewalk to find the right path, but about a third of the way into these challenges you'll have to really wrack the brain to see the proper line to draw. The real skill is in seeing how to manipulate both black and white at the same time, not just one or the other. Hints are available when you're stuck; the upper, non-touch screen is used to show the last attempt on the current panel, which is definitely handy as a reference to figure out where you went wrong.





What's really slick about this mode is the ability to create and save your own puzzle creations to cartridge. The game makes sure that any design can be solved by challenging the creators to solve it themselves; once it's successful, players can convert that puzzle into an extensive, numerical password so that buddies can pull that puzzle up on their own cartridge. Of course, those puzzles can also be transmitted to anyone's cart provided they're within local wireless range. It's this option that really extends Polarium's staying power.

The other half of Polarium is Challenge Mode an attempt to offer a Tetris-style of game design where falling structures move from the upper screen to the lower screen, stacking up when they hit the bottom of the pit. Here, players use their line drawing skills to remove as much of the tiles from play before the stack reaches the top of the bin. The problem: this mode sounds like a winner, but in practice it doesn't come off nearly as well as the Puzzle Mode. The first portion of the game is simply memorizing the particular stacks and drawing the line before they even hit the bottom of the bin. After the first round, the blocks stack up almost arbitrarily, which makes it difficult to play the game the way it was meant to be played.

But the blandness of Challenge Mode is rectified with a rather decent multiplayer option using a similar idea. This two player competition pits players one on one, sending completed lines out of their bin into the opposition's. When all of the lines end up in one player's bin, the match is over. It's a hectic matchup that can last a couple of seconds or a few minutes depending on the skills of the player and the luck of the draw in the tile layouts. To add a little bit more to the mayhem, there are power-ups to help or hinder; slowing opponent's sent lines or speeding up your own, for example. The best part: multiplayer only needs one copy of the game, with the owner sending the necessary files over to the cartridge-free system.

The problems with Polarium are few but enough to put a dent in the overall production value. The game's control has an overall "stiff" feeling due to its reliance on drawing lines that perfectly match the grid-like pattern of the tiles. The responsiveness between drawing the line and "tapping" the end to tell the game the line's complete is a bit on the laggy side that gets better with practice, but it's still not as tight as a puzzle game should be. It's a problem that's simply inherent with the game's direction; I can't imagine any better way of controlling Polarium, so "stiff" it will always feel.





Polarium's minimal presentation, obviously the development team's artistic choice, is certainly interesting and gives the game a look of its own, but its lack of color or graphical flash isn't something easily ignored. It's cool that the developers focused more on gameplay than imagery, but that doesn't mean the package couldn't use just a little more splash of color. We're past the days of grayscale Game Boy, folks. Old-school arcade games have had more visual appeal than this title.

There's no doubting the originality of Polarium's design, and the fact that it puts the Nintendo DS' unique functions to use means that it's a game that really couldn't be played on any other system out there. But it's not a game for the sloppy player, since it really requires a precise handling on stylus drawing. The two-color concept works in some areas and doesn't in others, but overall it's a puzzle game that's not like anything you've played before, and the little elements, like multiplayer and puzzle creation, add a lot to an extremely minimal package.

Good game but there's more to life than lines

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Fred's Review:
8/10 stars

A puzzle game worth buying. This was the latest game I bought and it was not as good as I expected but still good. 4 game modes to choose from-Challenge by filling up horizontal rows to make them disappear and get points. More rows of tiles fall from the top screen down and stack up, get the highest score before the tiles stack up and reach the top. Puzzle mode is where you get a simple set of tiles and you have to fill up horizontal lines of the same color to win but you can only do it with one line. Versus is sort of like challenge but facing the enemy and you have special abilities that can change the polarity of all the tiles on the enemy screen or whatnot. No tiles fall but when the enemy clears a line or several lines, they fall on down to your screen. Lounge is where you can do the tutorial, change settings and that kinda thing(Or you could call it options). This game will probably have you playing 3-5 weeks. I still have another 20 puzzles to go but I can't get them to work. People who aren't very good at noticing patterns I would not recommend this game. The difficulty ramps up but just give it some time and it will eventually work. You'll be spending half the time of playing this game just thinking about how to get the puzzle to work. But If one of your friends has it and you have DS, have him download the demo to you(Contains 10 puzzle levels,tutorial, and versus mode.) so you can see if you like it.

(...)
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Polarium Paves The Way

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 39 / 40
Date: July 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

In the vein of classic puzzle games, Polarium is very easy to learn but exceptionally hard to master. The object is to draw a single continuous line thereby changing the polarity (ie color) of the tiles so an entire row matches and disappears from the screen. It's a simple concept but you'll soon find yourself stumped as the blocks pile higher and higher.

People that have difficulty with spatial relations and seeing patterns might be frustrated, but sticking with Polarium will surely eventually help improve those skills, something which makes the game especially good for children. This is a game that truly is for everyone (over age five that is).

There are four modes of play. Challenge is an endless string of blocks falling and it's your job to score the highest points. Puzzle is a collection of 100 grids you have to solve with one continuous line. These puzzles get extremely challenging very quickly and will surely please more seasoned players. In addition you can create your own puzzles and share them with friends. And last but not least the game features wireless multiplayer.

One of my few nit picks with the game is that you don't have a choice of background music. Thankfully, it's very good music, but still it would be nice to change it up now and again. To make up for this though the game has you draw a picture to identify you on the highest scores list. It's a great feature that makes the experience that much more personal. Several times I've spent more time creating a cool icon for my listing than I did playing the game itself.

If you like puzzle games or are interested in trying one out, you owe it to yourself to pick up Polarium. This is one game that is sure to remembered as a classic in years to come.

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