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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!

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.

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!

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

Polarium

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoy this game. It gives my brain challenging puzzles to figure out.

Fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Polarium is very easy to get the hang of, and it also comes with a nice tutorial mode.

The Puzzle mode gets pretty involved after about the first ten or so - that should keep you busy for a while.

The Challenge (Tetris-style) mode does seem to get tough maybe a little too quick, but it does give your brain a good stretch as a result. I just wish it had a Novice-Normal-Expert level option. Challenge mode does offer a practice feature, where you can flip to your heart's content.

Polarium should be in everybody's DS collection, since there is bound to be someone in your family who will love it.

It's only black and white....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It's only black and white... leave it to the men in my life to whine about the colors. I love this game, who cares if its only two colors, geesh. ;-) An excellent puzzle game. I love the complexity of it and it helps with my visual spacial learning issues. Only usurped lately by Hotel Dusk 215. Play on! ;-)

Addicting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is simple to play and an ideal time waster. It's very addicting because you are just determined to get that next high score. The object of the game is to draw a line and make all the tiles white so that they will cancel each other out. Similar to Tetris but a little different because of the way that you use the stylus and how you are able to draw the lines. Extremely hard when you really get into the gameplay. If you are easily frustrated with games, I wouldn't recommend getting this one, but if you like a challenge that involves puzzles. Great for car rides, waiting in the doctors office, etc. I like it!

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.

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.

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