In reality, while the game is definitely predicated on the same principles as those other games - and will certainly be enjoyed by players who enjoy those games - it brings a whole load of other things to the table; it is very much its own game. For a start, and this really is the crux of the matter Mercury (the metal) is not atomic in the way that a marble, or a bag full of Monkeys is.
OK, those of you who paid attention in chemistry will be aware that Mercury (the metal, again) IS atomic, because it's an element, and its molecules contain only atoms of Mercury, and no additives, natural or otherwise. But we don't mean atomic in that way.
If, unlike those other kids we were just alluding to, you didn't pay attention in chemistry, the chances are good that you managed at some point to "accidentally" spill a lump of Mercury onto the bench, and possibly poke it a bit with your finger. If we ignore for one moment the fact that you are going to go bald and then die a hideous death, you'll know that there's nothing Mercury likes more, when set free of its natural environment (the inside of thermometers, if you must ask), than to shatter and split and morph and glom, and generally be quick, and silvery. Archer has used this characteristic of the molten metal to add a level of complexity, and challenge to his game that Monkeyball Madness simply lacks.
Taking Mercury's tendency to split and re-join into account, level design and puzzles of the game become instantly richer and more challenging. Rather than this being a simple balance and maze game, a whole new element of puzzle is introduced.
Often it is required to split your blob of Mercury into smaller pieces in order to solve a level. Sometimes you must reconstitute your blobs into a larger blob to do the same thing. And that's before we introduce colour-changers, doors and switches into the equation. Then it becomes really fun.
In Mercury Meltdown, a blob of Mercury can take on a colour - either it can start the level with a colour, or it can be given a colour by a colour changer. Only blobs of the appropriate hue can activate certain switches, or pass through certain doorways. So, levels are frequently designed so that you have to change colour to reach a switch to de-activate a doorway to re-combine your Mercury blob to reach the end of the level.
Levels are timed, of course, and your score is enhanced if you complete each one quickly, with time remaining contributing to your score. But one great feature of the game is that the level does not end if you run out of time, so you can use failed attempts as practise for your next attempt at the level, even if you fail to complete it within the time limit. This feature is very gratefully accepted, because some of the levels are quite challenging, and the times allowed are, frankly, tight. By challenging, I mean that sometimes, you need to split your blob into two smaller blobs, and change the colour of BOTH smaller blobs, then re-combine them to make a larger blob that is the colour of the smaller blobs' colours mixed. Then use this pass through a doorway that is colour locked. Get the split wrong, one blob bigger then the other, and when they recombine, the larger blob's colour will be dominant, and the doorway will be impassable to you.
Mercury Meltdown Remix shows its handheld roots though. Despite it being seen as something of a tech demo for the PSP, with its realistic physics and shiny splitty Mercury globules - the same graphics that had it feted on a small screen seem somewhat crude on a larger one. The music is, well, it's annoying. There's no other description for it, it sounds 8-bitty, repetitive and grating and I turned it down and left it that way. And despite a fairly cool loading screen, presentation generally is not Mercury Meltdown Remix strongest suit.
SPOnG Score A-
Tetris aside, puzzle games are never as huge as they clearly should be. I guess that this is simply because more people prefer shooting demons in the face than thinking hard. So, if you don't like puzzle games, this game probably won't convert you, go play some Quake. But if any game is going to make a rabid FPS or flight sim fan take a more cerebral approach to gaming, this would be it.
Often it is required to split your blob of Mercury into smaller pieces in order to solve a level. Sometimes you must reconstitute your blobs into a larger blob to do the same thing. And that's before we introduce colour-changers, doors and switches into the equation. Then it becomes really fun.
Levels are timed, of course, and your score is enhanced if you complete each one quickly, with time remaining contributing to your score. But one great feature of the game is that the level does not end if you run out of time, so you can use failed attempts as practise for your next attempt at the level, even if you fail to complete it within the time limit. This feature is very gratefully accepted, because some of the levels are quite challenging, and the times allowed are, frankly, tight. By challenging, I mean that sometimes, you need to split your blob into two smaller blobs, and change the colour of BOTH smaller blobs, then re-combine them to make a larger blob that is the colour of the smaller blobs' colours mixed. Then use this pass through a doorway that is colour locked. Get the split wrong, one blob bigger then the other, and when they recombine, the larger blob's colour will be dominant, and the doorway will be impassable to you.
SPOnG Score A-
Tetris aside, puzzle games are never as huge as they clearly should be. I guess that this is simply because more people prefer shooting demons in the face than thinking hard. So, if you don't like puzzle games, this game probably won't convert you, go play some Quake. But if any game is going to make a rabid FPS or flight sim fan take a more cerebral approach to gaming, this would be it.