There are some words we love to write when doing reviews of casual games: Quirky, Original, Addictive, Puzzling, Fun. We get to use all of those words in this review, and likely not often enough. To be honest, it’s starting to seem like there are only 3 designs for casual games out there these days: match-3 games, time management games, and hidden object games. For a while there were a few dozen marble-popper games, but those seem to have had their day in the sun and the world has moved on, leaving us only three real core designs to choose from. And as a reviewer who plays dozens of games a week, let me tell you, that gets real old real quick.

So, when we see something as quirky, fun, and original as Pathstorm, it gets us all atwitter. Not only is it a solid and beautiful casual game, it’s a puzzle game that is actually puzzling. Instead of mindlessly clicking on gems and diner waitresses, we actually have to use our powers of deduction to riddle out the mysteries of each level. Sure, it’s not the entrance exam to MENSA or anything, but it is at least enough to keep us mentally occupied, instead of mentally deadened. But I get ahead of myself – we should describe the gameplay a bit, since you likely haven’t seen it before.

The basic idea is that you have a big board with entrances all around it. You see a ball enter, and then it is occluded as it bounces around a series of obstacles. Your job is to sort out where the obstacles are and click on them. Every now and then, they flop this around, and show you where the obstacles are and make you figure out what entrances the balls exit at. And that…is pretty much it. Sounds easy, but it’s surprisingly deeper than that, as they introduce different configurations and layouts, each seemingly simple, yet deceptively complex.

The game has over 130 levels, and better yet, none of them have time limits. This is great, as you can take as long as you want to puzzle out each of the levels without pressure or stress, giving the game a very Zen feel. without time limits. There are also 60+ timed challenge levels for those who just like stress. The game includes a whole slew of various powerups and objects to vary the gameplay, including bouncers that deflect balls, spliters that make more balls, shifters that reverse the direction of the balls, switchers that change direction, and more. But the game is not about dozens of special powerups, it is about hundreds of levels that use a small palette of objects to create really challenging puzzles, and that’s way better.

There is a story (of sorts) and a big colorful map that unfolds in a Native American kind of way, but you’ll likely take little or no notice of it, other than to think that it’s all pretty much standard and pleasant. The music and sound deserves much more mention, though. It’s top notch, with Enya-inspired Celtic music that is as good as anything most new age stations play. It matches the gameplay perfectly, and even in very long gameplay sessions, you’ll likely leave it on to enhance the trance-like quality of the game.

To be honest, I have always been (and always will be) a sucker for great puzzle games where the developers have made a few hundred interesting levels for me to puzzle out, one by one. All too often, developers create games that can generate random levels, and call it “endless replay” – hoping that we won’t notice that it’s endlessly the same game. Screw that. I don’t want endless replay, I’m going to play a different game in a few days anyway. I want something where I feel someone has hand-touched the game and made levels that each have an individual and meaningful challenge. This is where games like Pathstorm really show their beauty, allowing me to match wits against the developers. And if that’s not enough, there’s a level editor to make your own levels, mail them to your friends, and grab them from the forum. That’s always a plus.

In all, the graphics are good, the sound is excellent, and if the story is forgettable, who cares? The gameplay is where the game shines, and because of it, you’re very likely to find yourself at the end of the demo and reaching for your credit card. Don’t resist the urge. This is the kind of game that deserves that love. Unless you want another six months of hidden object clones and fashion-based time management games. And please, save us from that. Go play this game.

Graphics:
Gameplay:
Story:
Sound:
Overall Rating:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading ...