Mercury Meltdown Hands-On Preview

Things are looking smooth after a thrashing with an early copy of this Archer Maclean sequel.

Archer Maclean's reasonably popular puzzle romp Mercury was released alongside the PSP itself last year to reasonable critical acclaim, even if it were reasonably muted acclaim. September will see the release of the sequel, Mercury Meltdown, and things are looking good so far after a thorough thrashing with an early copy.

Gameplay-wise things haven't changed a whole lot - tilting levels (ala Monkey Ball) are used to navigate a ball of liquid mercury around courses, solving puzzles along the way and trying to spill as little of the metal as possible. It's a simple format that captivates many and this simplicity repeated in the sequel can do nothing but help Meltdown on release - it ain't broke, so don't go breaking it and all that guff.

Changes in the sequel are not all that massive, but one area that has caused raised eyebrows from fans of the original is in the style of the game - bold, black outlines, bright colours and a very cartoony feel have taken the place of the original's cool, sleek feel. It's not off-putting and it's unlikely to destroy the credibility of the series, but then people are fickle idiots at times. These types will be pleased to know that there are a plethora of options regarding the look of the game. So no whining on release day, okay?

The difficulty levels are another way in which the game hasn't changed much from the original - swiftly changing from easy blobby rolls in the park to burst-veins-in-head-broken-PSP difficulty and back just as soon keeps a nice flow. Some difficulty spikes can be ridiculous, but patience will get even the worst players through. Maybe. Just don't be surprised if the ratio of broken things around the house rises when the game enters the property.

A number of multiplayer options have been added to the game, including competitive romps through each stage - we've yet to test this mode (one copy, one PSP. Oops.) to see if it's a game breaker or saviour of the human race, but either way it's likely to be a nice distraction, even if it may come across as shoehorned in. Time will tell.

Frankly there isn't much else to say about the game - it's not very far removed from the original, stylistic issues can be left or resolved through le options and multiplayer is unlikely to damage the potential of the game in any real way. Look out for a review - with some two player testage at least - nearer to the release of Archer's metallic monster.

Ian Dransfield
Staff Writer, Kikizo Games