Developer: Steph Thirion

Publisher: Apple

Release Date: March 9, 2009

System: iPhone/iPod Touch

Apple Rating: 4+

Official Web site

0:00 I've heard a ton of great stuff about this little iPhone puzzler, but its appearance on Crispy's Mid-Season Videogame All-Stars sealed the deal and got my $3. I don't doubt it'll be worth it.

0:01 A small red dot sprouts a long black antenna, which bursts into a blocky "ELISS" title, Nice old-school chirping when I tap the menu buttons.

0:02 The "How To" section is a bunch of IKEA-style instructional images with short, cryptic instructions. For instance: "Objective: Supernovas" shows a finger dragging a yellow circle into a hollow, yellow flower-thing to increase a rainbow-colored counter. I think.

0:03 If I'm interpreting these images correctly, a circle (planet) has to be the right size for its flower ("squeezar"), and different-colored planets colliding is a bad thing. I can put together and pull apart planets to change their size, and use multiple fingers at once to move them about. Also, the supernovas create stardust that I can tap to regain health. I think.

0:04 This "Danger" image makes no sense to me. It shows a planet and a sun colliding? I guess I'll figure that out as I play. Headphones are recommended, so I get some out. OK, ready as I'll ever be. Here we go!

0:07 I start with Sector 1, as I must. It's almost a complete disaster, as I'm so distracted by the trippy vector graphics and interesting music that I have trouble moving the red and yellow planets apart quickly enough. Eventually I focus and start clumping colored planets together in order to keep them separate more easily. All the squeezars are huge, so all I have to do is combine and fill. Complete! I'm betting it gets harder than this...

0:09 Sector 2 is indeed harder, but mainly, I feel, because I have trouble getting getting the controls to recognize when I want to split a planet in two. Half the time the iPod doesn't register both fingers, and I just end up moving the planet. Other times the new planets fly apart so quickly that their inertia carries them into an inconvenient spot. Still, I get the first 14 of 15 squeezar matches pretty easily. Then a huge red planet appears under a huge yellow one, and my full energy bar drains away incredibly quickly. I've gotta work on my spatial awareness...

0:12 I have an easier time of it on my second try, being more careful with thumb movements and finishing with a "Perfect." I'm loving the spare music that perfectly flows with the sound effects. I'm also getting used to using two thumbs at once ... it really helps being able to split your attention like that.

0:15 Sector 3 is heavy on planets but low on squeezars. Not a huge deal ... I just clump the colors together and split them into smaller balls when I need them. Another perfect finish. I feel like these levels are too short ... it's over just as I was getting entranced. Where's the endless mode? Also, where's the challenge?

0:18 Sector 4 introduces the teeniest, tiniest squeezars yet, requiring four splits from the big planets I start with. Lots of stuff going on, but I get into the swing of things pretty quickly.

0:20 Now I understand what the "Danger" tutorial meant ... a big, red sun with spinning tentacles that causes damage when it touches any planet. This SUCKS pretty incredibly!

0:24 I find myself planning spatially this time around, consolidating and splitting multiple times so I can slide yellow planets past a few reds without collision, and timing my splits to avoid random wandering. A little "5" item floats by, and tapping it slows everything down for what I assume is five seconds. Really helps me collect starburst bits and get some health back. It's starting to get challenging here.

0:25 Yikes! Sector 6 has a white vortex that sucks in the blue (yes, blue!) and yellow planets. I have to hold them in place to keep them apart, but I don't do a very good job and fail quickly. Ay ay ay.

0:26 On my second try, blue, red and yellow planets all appear at once. I can't hold all three in place with two thumbs, so the vortex causes some deadly collisions. Blerg!

0:27 Things are somehow more manageable this time, as I slot the planets into their squeezars easily. I never have to hold more than two apart at any one any one time. There's a bit of luck to the order/timing of which colors appear.

0:30 The third color seems to be the key to making things tougher. I find myself constantly maneuvering planets around and desperately clumping them to avoid collisions when new ones appear. It's hard to stop random collisions from happening, but the interface makes them pretty easy to spot and fix quickly, at least.

0:33 Sector 8 SUCKS! Frequent vortices force me to hold apart BIG planets, then split them up and slide them by to get to the rare squeezars. I'm barely holding on by collecting starbursts, but eventually I die a death of 1,000 paper cuts. Careful what you wish for re: toughness.

0:38 After three quick deaths, I'm finally getting somewhere on this sector, thanks to some cooperative color-ordering. It all falls to pot, though, when the game refuses to let my red planet fill a red squeezar. I can't get anything by the huge red planet without taking damage and with the vortices, I'm doomed.

0:41 I finally get it together on this latest attempt, thanks to some lucky planet-positioning. Primarily I'm holding a big red ball and sliding the others into place as they come up. Works out well.

0:43 Sector 9 is another level that requires a lot of planet-splitting for a lot of little squeezars. It's easy enough until a big blue planet messes up my yellow/red balance. One problem with the interface: I can't see the small squeezars behind the big planets.

0:46 Wow ... I just BARELY hang on to get my 24th and final match on my second attempt at Sector 9. The game's doing a good job now of riding that fine line between tough and unmanageable. Still having some problems with the controls occasionally, but they're not bad enough to ruin the fun.

0:49 Sector 10 features another tentacled red sun, but this time he's bigger and more persistent. At least there's a big, green energy item to help me survive a bit longer.

0:52 This red tentacle guy is just ONE thing too many, it seems. I can keep track of everything else, but add him in and I'm doomed. He just sneaks in and diverts me long enough for everything to go to hell.

0:55 I just tried to grab a yellow planet to move it away from a red one with a quick flick. Instead, the game grabbed the red planet and flicked it into the yellow one, killing me. GRRR!

0:59 This time through I last long enough to get a five-second slowdown item, which gives me a chance to catch my breath and collect some energy. This is just the push I need to get over the hump and reach the finish line of Sector 10. Fifteen more to go, it looks. This could take a while...

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes.


Why? It's totally original and entrancing so far, and tough without being impossible.

This column is based on a downloadable copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.


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