Before Pixelus there was Super Slyder, a puzzle game so simple anyone could play but could still offer a challenge. How does it fair against other puzzle games?
The concept in Super Slyder is simple. The player must guide a blob of goo from point A to point B while avoiding traps and dodging hazards along the way. If you ever solved any Zelda ice block pushing puzzle (like in the Ocarina of Time), you know how this game plays. Slyder only stops when something gets in his way, whether it be a wall, a barrier, or even an enemy. The main focus of the game is to get to the goal using the least amount of moves.
The game contains many obstacles and hazards along the way, giving the game a fresh edge. For example, gum will stop Slyder in his place. Holes will cause instant death. But then there are more complicated pieces. There is a spark ball, which must be manipulated through your movements to destroy an enemy and subsequently clear a path to the exit. There are enemies that move in the same direction as the player, which makes the use of walls and barriers a must. On occasion, the player must even guide multiple Slyders to the exit. But right when you think you are basically playing the same types of levels over and over again, a new enemy or hazard introduces itself, spicing up gameplay.
Naturally, some levels are more difficult than others. However, the game paces itself well by usually offering a pattern of three or four easy levels in a row, followed by a more difficult one. Unfortunately, the game does not have any type of Hint mode, but any level can be restarted at any time. The game contains hundreds of levels but unfortunately, once they are beaten, there is little reason to go back. Some of the levels are so numbingly easy you can?t help but wonder if they were created to beef up the level count.
Players can use either the stylus or the D-pad to control Slyder, but both ways are comfortable to use. And besides restarting each level, the player also has the ability to go back to any previously played level at any time. All this is possible from the touch screen buttons located at the bottom of the screen. And if another Palm user wants to try a demo of the game, Super Slyder can be transferred wirelessly to an idle Palm.
The ugliest parts of this game are the bland backgrounds. Each level is composed of a stage in which the player moves Slyder around. But because each level doesn?t take up the entire screen, empty space makes up the surrounding boarder. The only thing in this empty space are simple colors that make the game look like someone puked on your Palm?s screen. Everything else is easily animated while music and sound effects will greet the player?s onscreen actions. The game could have benefited from a little more animation, but the static images also help set the mood of the game and allow the player to see the stage and puzzle structure easily. And as a noteworthy comment, the best sound effect in the game is idle Slyder as he makes a stupid googley face and finger licking noise. Cute.
If you are a fan of the recently released Pixelus, then you will like Super Slyder. It is a simple puzzle game that can satisfy a quick five-minute gaming urge or a hold your attention for quite a while. Super Slyder would make a good purchase, especially if you have exhausted Zuma and Pixelus.