Yosumin!

If there was one thing you could say about Yosumin!, one thing that was incontrovertible, it'd be that it's addictive. Regardless of the simplistic and repetitive gameplay, it's just one of those games that keeps you hooked with a "one more go" factor, hours after you've grown tired of its click, drag and repeat mechanic. The best puzzle games are daringly simplistic though, so does Yosumin! have the hidden depths of a Peggle or a Plants vs Zombies?

Well, no, not really (you'd probably already guessed that was coming). While we've played it now for this review, we seriously doubt we'll ever go back to it on our own time. Contrast that with a game like Peggle, where we've done all of the extra challenges (well, most) and it becomes clear that there's just not enough about Yosumin! to make it a stayer.

The premise of the game is irrelevant, so we won't bother talking about it. What you do is have a 9x9 grid filled with different colored icons. The object is to create squares and rectangles with the same color icons (or certain special ones) at each corner. Each stage gives you a certain task to complete, like match X number of reds, greens and yellows. Special icons, if included in your shape, boost your time, shuffle the icons about, and so on. If you create four shapes with the same colour icons, that color is completely removed from the board temporarily.

Square Enix have tried to add various elements to the game to keep it interesting, such as an endless mode or various treats that provide bonuses when selected. The problem is it just lacks replay factor. Granted, the first time might have you playing for hours, but once you've become too frustrated with it, you'll most likely never bother with it again. This casual game is cheap and cheerful, plus there's a free demo, but Yosumin! might not be worth it in the long run.

Jun 24, 2009