Game Boy :: Genesis :: NES :: Sega CD :: SNES :: TurboGrafx-16 :: Complete System Listings

Osmos review

Game: Osmos
Platform: PC
Genre: Casual (Puzzle)
Developer: Hemisphere Games

Reader review by JoeTheDestroyer

March 16, 2011

No falling blocks, no cute mascots peddling license titles with minimal effort, and definitely none of that junk you can play on Facebook. Osmos is a puzzler of a different species, one that works with physics and features gorgeous HD graphics and a sweet ambient soundtrack. Hemisphere Games leaves the dull sorting tasks to less capable and better funded companies while they contribute a title that's beautiful, engaging, addictive and challenging as all get out.

Our hero is a small heterotrophic orb much like one you may have seen under a microscope. The object is simple: guide your little orb around the screen into smaller orbs to absorb (read: devour) them. Take in the single-celled scrumptiousness and you'll increase in size, allowing you to snack on larger targets.

The catch is that you have to use miniature pieces of yourself to propel your hungry little procaryote from meal to meal, causing you to progressively shrink. Holding down the mouse button will allow you to machine gun bits of yourself in exchange for going much faster, building momentum and bowling over lesser eaters to satiate your eternal hunger. Swing that cursor around and blast bits into other directions and you'll slowly alter course. Just bear in mind that flying out of control and chewing through propellant with reckless abandon usually leads to flying into a much larger competitor and becoming lunch. Learning to counterbalance your momentum and gauge your speed in relation to the distance of your next entree becomes key.

But this isn't an endless cytoplasmic buffet. You have objectives to meet, usually focused on becoming the largest or eating a certain other organism.

Each level isn't just a feeding frenzy in a mosh pit of succulent smaller consumers. Advance levels and you'll know that frustration and brilliance can sometimes go hand in hand. Some levels really are just a cluster of cells all swimming together, ravaging one another like starving cannibals. Most of the time you're one of the small ones, trying desperately to work your way up the food chain by eating small and eventually devouring big. Others stages will have you:

In tight quarters with stationary cells, leaving you to use your propellant to nudge some of the bigger ones aside and gain access to small pockets of edible tidbits,
Racing another eater by trying to gobble up as much of the surrounding environment as you can to become larger faster all in the hopes of eating your opponent;
Or floating in orbit around a larger cell, defying gravity in an attempt to gulp up others.

Hemisphere Games put some real thought into this beast. They didn't want you walking out thinking it was a loveless affair. Each new situation adds to the addiction and stimulates your gray matter and your gall, begging you to string together a solid plan on the fly and have the brass put it into effect, even when it seems you may fail.

Once the difficulty picks up, no matter what level type you play the excitement will kick up a notch or seven and you'll experience both pure pain and bliss. Osmos will kick you in the teeth, starting you off as a speck amongst giants, forcing you to labor and plan, move fast, take chances, pull out any of the stops you can to get bigger, meaner and hungrier. If you slow down, you will either be eliminated or other consumers will nab all the good grub before you have a chance. Fail to stay aggressive and others will steal your opportunities. It's undoubtedly frustrating starting at such ridiculous disadvantages, yet elating when you are able to triumph against such stiff odds. Life isn't fair, and Osmos wants you to know that.

Perhaps the frustration factor can be a bit much, but without it Osmos would be another dull, dry puzzler that doesn't challenge you or stimulate your mind. It's instantly engaging, easy to pick up and understand, difficult to put down, and even harder to master. Once you're in, soaking the wondrous HD graphics, being lulled by the sweet ambiance of the soundtrack, and being soundly defeated by the sometimes steep challenge, you may find yourself trying “one last time” until about four in the morning. Even when the levels are difficult, the fast-paced and addictive gameplay make the challenge feel less like a concern and more like a device made to lengthen the game's life beyond sixty minutes. For those of you who don't value sleep and like going hoarse from screaming the f-bomb until the sun's rays kiss your face but find yourself too stubborn to give up, Osmos is your microscopic ticket.

Rating: 8/10

More Reviews by JoeTheDestroyer
	10-Yard Fight (NES) 10-Yard Fight's primitive presentation and mechanics are more detrimental to the game than favorable.
	Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy) Not so dreamy...
	Zeno Clash II (PC) It's bigger, badder, and WTFier, but it still needs some fine-tuning.

Feedback

If you enjoyed this Osmos review, you're encouraged to leave feedback and talk about it with members of the site's community. You don't even need an HonestGamers account to get involved in the discussion. Please remember to keep your comments respectful and on-topic or they may be deleted by a moderator. Thank you for your understanding!

comments powered by Disqus

© 1998-2013 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Osmos is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to Osmos, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.