Official Website

Platform: PSP

Genre: Puzzle

Number of Players: 1 - 2

I was a little surprised to see a second puzzle game released on the PSP so early after its release. As it is, I'm still trying to get rid of that glazed over look that comes as a result of watching tiny blocks falling to rhythmic techno beats, something that anyone who has been sucked into Lumines can identify with. Tetris inspired games however aren't the only offering that you have on the PSP, and now you have one that will tax every core of your mental faculties.

Archer Maclean's Mercury isn't about making squares or lines to improve your score, but instead it's simply getting from point A to B, but it's really not going to be quite that simple. As the name implies, you are will be in control of a blob of mercury that you must guide to the exit in each stage. However, each of these mazes has a number of obstacles that you must overcome, and more importantly, you don't want to spill too much of the mercury over the sides of the mazes, but the challenges grow even more complicated as you progress.

Mercury could be considered to be the Marble Madness of the 21st century, but there is much more going on here than simply rolling a track ball. Each of the mazes is in 3D and can be fully rotated in every direction, something that really does come in handy with screens later in the game. Each phase is has certain goals that must be met, making the game even more taxing. You will have to finish with at least a certain percentage of mercury, losing more than the allotted amount will cause to have to start all over, there will be time limits, and the game even grows more complex.

Some stages will find you having to split your mercury into two (or sometimes more) blobs, and there is a method to this madness. Some stages have paint stations that allow you to change the color of your mercury. You may need a red sphere to activate a gate for example, and then you may have to join to colors to make a completely different one. Plus, you will various obstacles in each stage that will both assist and hinder your progression. There's so much trouble just to reach a simple little pressure switch to end the stage, but that's part of the fun.

Mercury has three different styles of levels. Races have you rushing to get your mercury to the pressure points as quickly as possible, usually something that can be quite simple at a glance, but you'll soon learn otherwise. Percentage stages have you trying to reach the goal with a certain amount of mercury still in tact while task stages feature various aspects though the mainly have you breaking up your mercury, changing colors, and so on.

Visually, Mercury is an amazing looking game. The mercury itself has a fantastic reflective quality to it and the backgrounds are simply stunning. It's easy at times to get lost in what else is going on around you, but then you realize that the time is quickly ticking by and there's really no time to marvel at the backgrounds. And, as the game as rotation, it shows the power that the PSP has available and there is absolutely no issues that would cause choppy or blurred images.

Is Mercury addictive? Yes. Is it frustrating? Well, once again I lost control of the PSP when my wife started playing it, and as she got farther and farther into the game, I heard a string of profanities spew from her lips. That should give you a fairly good idea. Plus, if you're tired of getting annoyed on your own, you can drag a friend along with you as Mercury does feature a two-player mode. With over 70 different mazes to navigate through as well as some unlockable features, Mercury is certain to be a hit with those looking for other puzzle action beyond just dropping blocks (though there's nothing wrong with that) and once again shows the true power that is capable with Sony's newest addition to it's family.
 

-mike-