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Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Organic Platformer

Number of Players: 1 - 3
Support: 1080p, Leaderboard, Trophy Support, Remote Play

At this point, the PixelJunk series of games is officially a franchise, though that was always the case. It all began with PixelJunk Racers, a game that didn’t necessarily win me over, and was followed by PixelJunk Monsters, a title that I saw many on my list of friends heavily addicted to. It was entertaining, but the latest in the series, PixelJunk Eden, I have found to be an addiction on a different scale. Adding in trophy support never hurts much either, and I’ve been working to keep one step ahead of friends and PR reps on my list.

In PixelJunk Edne, you will control what is known as a Grimp, a small creature that could be an insect, though I’d liken it to being more of a worm for reasons that will become obvious. Your Grimp starts in Eden, better known as the level select area. Here you will find a number of different gardens, ten in all which you can journey into. The goal of each garden is to locate the spectra hidden within it. There are five total, though when you start a garden, your goal is to retrieve one and the amount increases with each entry.

The gardens can be navigated in a few different ways. Your Grimp can jump which is done by using any of the main buttons on the controller. While in the air, you can spin by using the same buttons as you would to jump. This will give you more height in some cases, but it will also work to destroy the Pollen Prowlers that endless float through the gardens. By destroying them, they will release pollen which can be collected simply by touching it and in turn, it will float to nearby seeds. These are easy to see as they begin as outlines, but as you collect more pollen, they will begin to fill in. Once a seed has collected enough pollen simply touch it with your Grimp to make it sprout. The result will be a plant that you can “jump climb” to reach higher areas.

The Grimp can also spin a strand of thread, once again done by using jump when on any plants. Once suspended, you can spin the Grimp to destroy more Pollen Prowlers. The more that are eliminated, the higher your combo will build and in turn, the more pollen will be released. However this thin strand can only hold you for so long and before long, you will notice the Grimp will flash, and indication that you should reel yourself back in by using the R1 button. In each garden you also have a synchronization meter at the bottom of your screen. This acts as a timer which will slowly tick down. Grabbing spectra will build it back up to its full level, but each stage also has units of time that can be collected. Also, destroying Prowlers in a combo or activating a pollinated seed will also release time that can be collected.

The gardens are large and increase in size. I found in most cases, it would take at least ten minutes in the first visit to a garden to locate the spectra, though it does become easier when you realize that the best way of tracking them is to watch for the glow that surrounds them as well as following the direction that the pollen floats. The Prowlers start out as being harmless, though new ones are introduced which will require you to find a new means to destroying them. The common ones eventually become more difficult to kill and towards the final stages, hitting one with your threat will actually sever it. The Grimp can also only spin from plants, so the rock formations you find will only allow you to stick to them and jump. Further along, you will find flowers that are used to catapult you into the air, floating flower platforms, teleporters, and even one stage where the direction of the gravity flow is constantly changed by a Prowler, though this can be beneficial if used correctly.

Although one of the trophies included in the game will award you a bronze by simply grabbing a spectra in each garden, that’s not as easy as it sounds. To get to each garden, you must navigate just like you would in the stages themselves, and all of them aren’t accessible at first. You must collect around 35 spectra in order to access the final garden, so that’s a great deal of work. Plus, growing all the seeds in a stage will award you another trophy, something that was particularly easy until I hit stage six and there’s one elusive one somewhere that I just can’t seem to find. Plus, with time working against you, it’s not always easy, and later stages can have over a huge number of seeds to activate. I suppose that the rewards are worth it though, if you’re into collecting the newly added trophy feature, and personally, I’m more than addicted to getting any of them that I can.

PixelJunk Eden also supports a multi-player, co-op mode, something that not only can make finishing stages easier, but it’s essential for at least one trophy in the game. It also supports the ability to record your gameplay, something that actually can help to create tutorials for others. I took a brief break to pay YouTube a visit, and low and behold, there’s that elusive seed I’ve been missing on garden six, and located in the oddest of places. Also, your score can be uploaded so you can see how you’re doing against other players, and the leaderboard is a much appreciated addition.

As with the other PixelJunk titles, Eden is rather basic when it comes to the graphics and the simplicity is really something that seems to draw from another addictive title; LocoRoco. Eden isn’t as colorful, but it does change colors each time you grab a spectra. This can make the stages more appealing or it can make them more difficult to see, something that adds to the challenge. The trance music that is used also adds a nice element into the game and makes the time spent in each garden seem like it’s nothing at all. What always stands out though is your Grimp as well as the spectra, and these are truly the key elements that make the game work.

PixelJunk Eden might be well on its way to replacing Super Stardust HD as one of my favorite PlayStation Network titles, though I’m not sure what the replay value will be once I’ve completed every garden and grabbed every trophy. The length of the stages however adds tremendously to the enjoyment, and sometimes frustration, that the game brings with it. Seeing videos on YouTube and reading reviews however isn’t enough, and this is a game the needs to be played in order to fully be embraced, and I suggest you do so.

-mike-