Polarium Review

By Kristan Reed Published 22 March, 2005

Continuing the puzzle gaming renaissance in style.

Version tested: DS

Order yours now from Simply Games.

2005 appears to be the year the puzzle genre finally awoke from its depressingly prolonged coma and thrust itself back into frontline Top 40 action. You'd swear you can smell frazzling synapses when you enter the Eurogamer HQ these days. In one corner you've got Tom busy clocking up multi-million Time Attack scores on Zoo Keeper and muttering about getting Meteos on import, while I put my worn-out copy of the stupidly under-appreciated It's Mr Pants to one side to try out the latest challenger, Nintendo's Polarium. At this rate we'll be submitting our Mensa applications and buying bigger hats to disguise the fact that our brains are bursting out of our skulls. We're nothing if not modest.

Despite having outsized hat-wearers, we still have no idea what Polarium is supposed to mean. Dictionary.com wonders if we meant solarium, while the next best suggestion Larium is some kind of anti-malarial drug. Maybe it's what Polar Bears take when they go on tropical adventures. Who the hell knows? Suggestions please.

Not every puzzle game in life is black and white

'Polarium' Screenshot 1

Back to the saner and altogether more fathomable topic of what Polarium's about, we're on sturdier ground. Being designed from the ground up for the touch screen marvel that is the DS it's far from being a mere novelty to use the stylus. It's an obligation, and one you'll appreciate the more you play the game and the faster your reactions need to be. Playable in two quite distinct ways, the overall gameplay principles apply identically to both in that it's all about clearing those darned dastardly blocks again. Yep, another game to send you off to bed with shapes in front of your eyes.

In many senses Polarium has several classic puzzle gaming principles that make it feel immediately familiar and easy to pick up, but yet somehow manages to introduce a few unique twists to still make it a somewhat unique and intriguing, beguiling prospect. As per usual it's a grid-based affair with black or white tiles laid on top of it and as such it's up to you to clear them as efficiently as possible. No real change there, then.

In what amounts to the regular 'action' mode of Polarium, the 'Challenge' is simply to delete as many 'lines' of tiles as possible before the screen fills up. Very Tetris. But wait! The actual fundamental process of selecting and clearing tiles is uniquely DS-style, with the stylus control an obligatory part of making the game work at all; the game would be slow, fiddly, cumbersome and about a hundred times less playable without the touch sensitive input.

White lines blow awaaaaaay

'Polarium' Screenshot 2

The path to clearing tiles is in itself exceptionally simple but clever in the manner of all good ideas. The key is to clear each line horizontally; thus in, the most basic example, if one row of black tiles has a white tile interrupting it, simply tap the white tile to confirm your turn and flip the tile black, complete the row and cause the line to vanish. If only things stayed that simple.

But playing Polarium by just tapping individual tiles their opposite colour one by one would quickly result in a Game Over screen. Very quickly you'll learn to drag the stylus swiftly over large areas of the screen in order to create chain reactions that may not seem obvious to begin with, but soon become a familiar part of the process of ridding the screen efficiently.

An often important part of this stylus dragging process is to utilise the grey border around the play area, which allows you to effectively duck in and out of the active part of the grid. This potentially allows you to avoid tiles you don't want to touch and also lets you skirt around the perimeter and re-enter on a part of the grid that allows you to maybe pull off a massive chain reaction and clear the entire lower part of the screen in one fell swoop. But it's only one block wide, and you can't go over your lines once you've drawn them.

You big tease

'Polarium' Screenshot 3

But while this is a massively challenging and addictive part of Polarium's charm, it's by no means our favourite element of the package. Tom puts its failings down to what he calls "a lack of friendly intuition" on the DS' part. In other words, he doesn't like the way that your rapid strokes sometimes cover the wrong block halfway along, requiring you to either abandon the line by hitting one of the grid-side X icons or to painstakingly snake your way backward and get the line going on the correct path. Of course precision is important, but easier difficulty levels that auto-correct your stylus' weaving might have worked, perhaps penalising you for such transgressions by limiting your points reward for that line. Or by limiting your overall scoring rate, and forcing you to move onto higher difficulty levels that demand more precision to challenge for the big numbers. You know, like Zoo Keeper. But without some sort of concession to the bounciness of life, the stylus goes astray once in a while, it's too easy to run out of headroom, you start to get tired of seeing the first few minutes of complete-able blocks over and over again before losing in the same place, and eventually your interest in Challenge wanes. Tom, get off my keyboard; clicking point to point with your stylus is the way forward, as observers in the thread have noted, allowing the game to fill in the gaps for you.

Anyaway. Enough about Challenge. Asuch, the game's Puzzle mode is where the real long-term, satisfying brain-teasing comes to the fore, and simultaneously acts as a great way to hone your skills without the accompanying pressure of being hassled by endlessly descending lines. The trick in Puzzle is to work out how to clear each of the 100 play fields in one continuous line. What you're presented with initially are some very simple and easy to fathom grids that anyone could work out, but after about twenty or thirty levels in you'll sit and pour over them for ages, often getting them immediately, other times awaiting the CPU's help in knowing where you should start and finish. But once you work out how best to flip all the tiles in the prescribed manner it's an immensely satisfying feeling and with so many levels to work through it's a game that'll last well beyond many titles on the DS. Even when you're done you can create your own puzzles with the accompanying level editor, or import some of your friends' creations. It's a title with a great potential longevity.

And happily Nintendo has been wise enough to make it a single cartridge multiplayer game that also offers ten puzzle levels as a 'demo' for other DS owners to try out at their leisure. With a cart each, though, you're able to face off in a tricksy multiplayer experience that essentially works a little like Tetris in multiplayer, in that whatever you manage to remove from your screen goes onto the opposing players, with the winner being the one who manages to clear their screen first. It's a frantic affair with the most proficient pattern-spotters usually winning out, but perhaps one that could have been fleshed out with a few more modes. As nice an addition as it is, it works best alone.

Retro futurism

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Nintendo is managing to convince its audience to give the game a second glance. With some of the most basic visuals seen since the days of the ZX81 and mind-numbingly uninspired audio it's not going to woo gamers looking for the quick thrill that other eye-candy laden DS titles will. Hopefully the prospect of another compelling, involving and satisfying puzzle title which could only work on the DS will provide the hook and convince one or two sceptical gamers of its slow-burn appeal. Okay, it's not the best handheld puzzle game we've played this year, but it still deserves praise for being one of the DS' hidden gems. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Order yours now from Simply Games.

7 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mirkan #1 7 years ago

    Head to head works with single card play, just so people know. I don't know about US or Japanese versions, but the one released in Europe works fine.

  • Cyhwuhx #2 7 years ago

    09024 87004
    39802 78812
    21091 06163

  • Lutz #3 7 years ago

    7? Outrage! :p

    Cyhwuhx: There's a Polarium thread in the forums to submit your codes and try out other peoples if you fancy?

  • Lutz #4 7 years ago

    or to painstakingly snake your way backward and get the line going on the correct path.

    You don't have to do this guys. If you stop your corrent line and tap on a tiel that's aprt of your line your icon will reset itself to that point.

  • Derblington #5 7 years ago

    As Lutz says - just touch the tiles you want to go to. It's much quicker and less room for error!

  • Lutz #6 7 years ago

    From the forum, and teh same logic applies to back tracking:

    1 major tip for challenge mode.:

    Assume your grid is something like this:

    BBBBW
    BBBBW
    BBBBW
    BBBBW
    BBBBW
    BBBBW

    Yeah?

    Obviously the line you need to draw is along the right hand side. However you don't need to select each block.
    Simply tap the screen on the top W, and on the bottom W, and it draws a full line in between the two taps for you. Then tap the bottom W again and it turns the line.




  • Royal Fool #7 7 years ago

    This is one of the few games currently out that I have an interest in.

  • Fozzie_bear #8 7 years ago

    Frod! Put that can of worms away!

  • Derblington #9 7 years ago

    I think Zookeepers better purely because it's more accessible. My mum and gf can't see the patterns in this; it requires a logical way of thinking. If you can't do that I reckon you'd throw it around the room.

  • FooAtari #10 7 years ago

    I bought this game when I couldn't get hold of Wario Ware Touched with the intention of giving it a quick ago after glancing over the review on Gamescentral but with then taking it back when Game got in copies of Wario Ware, well I still dont have Wario Ware. To say this game is adictive is an understatement. Mario DS is getting hardly any time in my DS between playing this and Zoo Keeper. These puzzle games are perfect for the DS and Polarium makes great use of the Stylus, its about time these kind of games made a comeback anyway.

    I dont really have a problem going through the easier begining in challenge mode, which the reviewer seemed to be slightly annoyed at, it warms you up for later on in the game and is no different to any other puzzle game of this nature, they all have the player go through an easy begining.

    The two player is great, can get really frantic, the reviewer also missed out the "power ups" you get in two player to use against the other player or to your advantage.

    The simplicity of this game is the great thing, dont let the monochrome look put you off, its a great game and deserves a place in your collection! Its only 20 quid too.

    I seem to have missed something though, whats all these codes about?

  • Lutz #11 7 years ago

    One downer is the lack of puzzles. Considing the memory space they take up you'd have thought they'd have fitted in more than 100.

    /has already done the 100.

  • Lutz #12 7 years ago

    FooAtari: You can swap puzzles with each other! :)

    In puzzle mode go to edit puzzles, and then password, and you can enter a password, like Cyhwuhx's and it gives you a puzzle. If you hit create rather than password you can create a password for a puzzle too! We've got a thread going (A bit) in the forum if you're of an interest.

  • boo #13 7 years ago

    /pedant mode 'on'

    You do not 'pour' over things for ages unless you are, say, a gardener with an incredibly large watering can.
    You can, however, 'pore' over a particularly thorny problem.

    /pedant mode 'off'

    Polarium rocks!
    Only 7? Surely an 8 at least, maybe even a 9.

  • Kiigan #14 7 years ago

    Great game, played it to death as Chokkan Hitofude. To be honest, I don't think much of criticism about the game not "auto-correcting" your lines - the whole bloody point of the game is to draw your lines skillfully. Auto-correcting mistakes is rubbish idea IMO.

    The game does give you a decent tutorial to hold your hand for a while, and it does allow you to correct your own line at any time, and it even gives you hints if you fail. What more can you ask? Maybe more puzzles, but that's it. Fantastic little game. And it's a lot better than Mr. Pants :)
    Edited by 2 at 22/03/05 @ 10:50

  • Earl_G #15 7 years ago

    This, Bomberman and Famicom Wars... Give it a few months and there'll be enough titles out for me to actually justify buying this console!

  • Lutz #16 7 years ago

    Boo: It's 9 material I think... :)

  • Kiigan #17 7 years ago

    I've just read the review again - I get the impression that Kristan didn't realise you can just tap anywhere on your line to go back to that point - you don't have to "snake" your way back. And you don't have to draw entire lines - you can just just tap the waypoints and it fills in the rest.

  • Kiigan #18 7 years ago

    Agreed Lutz. The only real complaint I could come with is the shortness of it, having finished all 100 puzzles. However there are more puzzles on the website, which helps a bit (although there's no measurement stored of you "completing" them. I'd also have liked it if the game stored my solutions for each puzzle, so I can show friends when they can get stuck :)

  • Lutz #19 7 years ago

    Kiigan: Just resolve them. :D

    Which website? Do you have a link?

  • gamingdave #20 7 years ago

    I get the feeling you, or Tom at least, havent really clicked with this. What sort of scores are you getting? Not having discovered the one tap drawing, and the one tap track back, suggests to me you've either not put much time/effort in or are just rubbish at it ;)

    For me this is definately an 8, its been in the DS non stop apart from when the lass is playing Warioware, and has religated Mario to the backburner for now. One missed oportunity may have been to wirelessly send custom levels (and tha ability to name them). An internet enabled version of this complete with highscore challenges and downloadable custom levels would be superb.

    -- edit --

    "a lack of friendly intuition" ?!?! How is it supposed to know where your going, OK maybe on the first stroke of the game its obvious what you meen to do, but by level 3 nearly all lines I draw have kinks in them and on purpose. Would you expect a platform game to just let you jump that gap from anywhere?
    Edited by 1 at 22/03/05 @ 11:04

  • Lutz #21 7 years ago

    Gamingdave: Welcome to Polarium 2: Revenge of the Pink Line! :D

  • FooAtari #22 7 years ago

    Lutz, I knew you could create custom puzzles but have yet to try it out so wasnt aware of how it's done, Ill take a look tonght.

    Will have to check out the website as well.

    As for the score, well I dont think scores should be put in reviews at all but cant really see that happening. Anyway it was easily an 8, maybe even a 9 for me!

  • asphaltcowboy #23 7 years ago

    Definitely worth at least an 8

  • Kiigan #24 7 years ago

    More puzzles available here:

    http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/asnj/collection/index.html

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #25 7 years ago

    Heh. EA didn't pay Kristan anything, I hope that was some internet sarcasm :)

  • Mirkan #26 7 years ago

    Dispite being fully supportive of those who say this game is a remarkable little piece of touchable software, I can't help but feel that in order to deserve those extra 2 points, putting it in 9 territory, the presentation would've needed some work.

    Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the minimalistic style they've gone for with this, but even so, the music and interface ranges from uninspired to cheap.

    This is a budget game, granted, but there are FREE games that look more exciting than this.

    The gameplay is spot on, but for an 8 or 9, I just feel like something's missing.

  • Tweakmonkey #27 7 years ago

    I can't help but feel that in order to deserve those extra 2 points, putting it in 9 territory, the presentation would've needed some work.

    Yeah - why are the graphics so basic? I haven't seen it on motion but the screenies look pretty poor. How much is this game retailing for??

  • gamingdave #28 7 years ago

    I can't help but feel that in order to deserve those extra 2 points, putting it in 9 territory, the presentation would've needed some work.

    Youd give a portable puzzle game 2 extra points for its interface? Its not like its bad as it is. Everything is quick and intuative. In game graphics are basic, but why should you dress it up, and how would you? Would you mark Tetris down because of the presentation?

  • sam_spade #29 7 years ago

    "Worse than FIFA Street???...............Don't think i'll bother then!"

    But it's as good as Leisure Suit Larry Magna Cum Laude!

  • Mirkan #30 7 years ago

    Hey, at least Tetris has some catchy music and decent background art.. Like.. castles and stuff.

    Anyway, yeah, I certainly think a portable puzzle game could look more appealing than this, and with games like Meteos and Lumines setting new standards for how puzzle games are presented, this comes across as a little too basic.

    Sure enough, the menus are quick and intuitive, but they do merely get their job done, nothing more.

  • onyxbox #31 7 years ago

    This game deserves a more favorable review IMO.

    I'd give the game an 8 or 9, it's certainly better than most of the fodder out there at the moment.

  • regmund #32 7 years ago

    " Yep, another game to send you off to bed with shapes in front of your eyes."

    /rant mode

    ..I'm just getting weird shapes in front of my eyes front 'cos of that FUCKING GTR FIA ADVERT in the middle of the article.

    ..Guys seriously though do we really need such intrusive advertising???
    FACT : These kind of ads DO NOT WORK. i just hope they're eariing you good money 'cos they don't do shit for me.

    /rant over

    Polarium looks like fun in gameplay terms but is aesthetically unappealing

  • RobTheBuilder #33 7 years ago

    Just bought this, its great!

    Simple but damn challenging, and two player is cool too.

  • dan13l #34 7 years ago

    I got this for £17.99 from Play, so I don't think you can grumble about the menus looking cheap - it _was_ cheap!

    Now I've discovered that you can touch the start and end points to draw a line, I'm enjoying it a lot more. Initially, I'd have agreed with the review, but once you realise you can tap and draw, rather than drag and draw, it becomes an 8 or 9. Perhaps we'll have a Polarium review review, like we did with Zoo Keeper?

  • Royal Fool #35 7 years ago

    I just got my DS today with Mario and Polarium.

    Polarium rocks. Incredibly addictive Challenge mode... and it's so tough, it's like being whipped by a S&M dominatrix. :(

  • 3william56 #36 7 years ago

    @DaveT: I think the name's a play on Polarity as you switch from one state (white) to black etc.

  • ChrisOTR #37 7 years ago

    Just bought this - looking forward to getting home and giving it a crack.

    About the title - DaveT's right about "Polar" obviously meaning state change/binary extremes (or whatever the official definition is) but no one's mentioned the second bit... doesn't "arium" mean a room or place, as in sanitarium, solarium etc?

    So it's a place where you get binary things to play with. Really good name I reckon!

    From dictionary.com:

    1 entry found for arium.
    -arium
    suff.

    A place or device containing or associated with: planetarium.

    5 entries found for polar.
    po·lar
    adj.

    5. Occupying or characterized by opposite extremes

    Case closed!
    Edited by 1 at 07/04/05 @ 14:06

  • eviltobz  #38 7 years ago

    cept that'd be polararium

    so it's either and arium of pols, or some iums that are polar

    :b

  • Lutz #39 7 years ago

    ...
    Sad gits! :D

  • ChrisOTR #40 7 years ago

    Polararium! Brilliant :D

  • sumanai #41 7 years ago

    "Polararium"... maybe the name for a sequel?

    Dictionary.com:
    -ium
    suff.

    Chemical element or group: californium.

    Still works.