Not all Playstation Move games are waggle-fests, some actually offer a challenge and require you to use some sort of intellect. To demonstrate this, Sony have released a disc-based compilation featuring three thought-provoking Move titles that were previously only available via the Playstation Network.
The first and most prominently billed game on this collection is Lemmings, which was originally released on the PSN in 2008. This updated version of the PC/Amiga classic features roughly 40 new levels, HD visuals and of course Playstation Trophies. Unlike the PSN release, this version of Lemmings supports Playstation Move functionality although you can still opt to play with a Dualshock if you prefer. The premise remains the same, your job is to guide a swarm of rodents from one place to another by assigning them individual tasks and giving them the materials needed to safely reach the end zone. Those without any nostalgic links to the series may not fully appreciate this straight-forward yet challenging puzzler but if you enjoyed Lemmings back in the day, chances are you’ll still like it today. On the down side I found the Move controls to be a little too sensitive for a game which often requires precision perfect cursor placements,making this one of the growing number of Move games which work better with a regular controller.
Next up is echochrome ii which is thematically very similar to Lemmings. Here you guide a silhouetted figure for point A to B by shining a flashlight on to a group of strategically placed shapes and creating shadows for him to walk across. After suffering though a painfully slow tutorial segment things quickly become challenging, forcing you to figurative bend your mind as the title of this compilation suggests. Should you require an additional challenge there are two other game modes which enhance the difficulty by changing the completion conditions but if you’re really that smart you’ll probably be too busy curing cancer or something. There’s no denying that the levels in echochrome ii are extremely creative and intricately designed, the problem is the game just isn’t very fun. I also found myself wondering why this game requires a Move controller as your flashlight functions could easily be replicated with an analog stick.
Rounding out this mind bending extravaganza is Tumble. Unlike the other two games on this disc, Tumble feels like it was designed from the ground up to take advantage of the Move controller. This is also the only game on this compilation to feature stereoscopic 3D and multiplayer support, so if you have a 3D TV and a friend beside you then this should be your go-to title. Your main objective in Tumble is to stack a pile of blocks (and other similarly shaped objects) on top of one another in an attempt to create a makeshift tower that clocks in at a predetermined height. Tumble also features destruction challenges for those who like to blow s*** up and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? The controllers aren’t perfect and Boom Blox on the Wii has already cornered the market for block based, motion controlled puzzle games but Tumble is still a cool title that you should probably check out if you haven’t already.
