The Nintendo 3DS has blossomed into an incredible handheld experience with a slew of high quality titles. Anchoring its eShop success are two of the more unique puzzle games by Nintendo’s star studio, Intelligent Systems. With two similar, but varying experiences, Pushmo and Crashmo are still two of the best puzzle games on the system to date. With their easy to pick up and play style and simple, intuitive gameplay, the games featured hours of puzzling content worth every penny. And, because they were housed on a great handheld system, gamers had the option to play at any time.
Pushmo has finally pushed its way onto a console as yet another eShop gem for the Wii U. We can expect equal amounts of polish and charm but the two main questions I had going into the experience were whether there was enough new content to warrant a replay in the series and whether the shift away from handheld hurts the overall experience.
Pushmo and Crashmo both featured a great amount of replay value through the use of the games’ level editors and QR codes for uploading fan-made content. Though the games featured a good amount of onboard content with each game’s ~200+ levels, these QR codes allowed the creativity of a gaming community to turn any bitted mural into a scalable level. Thus, with a simple google search, you can find a wonderful selection of fan-made levels that feature everything you can think of from the gaming world. For QR codes, just do a simple Google search for a slew of enjoyable fan-made puzzles: Google Pushmo
Pushmo World has the same replayability from the start as any previous QR code can be scanned in to the game but there’s just one major problem to this functionality: the Wii U gamepad has only one front facing camera, which makes it extremely difficult to align the QR code properly for scanning (I had a great deal of difficulty making it work). A new mode has been added to the game called “World Pushmo Fair” where you can download Pushmo levels directly but the community must upload titles before this becomes as accessible.
In terms of the core experience, Pushmo World offers around the same amount of content as the previous two titles with 250 total levels. Many of the levels are repeats from the original game which takes away from some of the early experience with the game but as you continue through the story mode, more unique levels open up. As you complete levels, you’ll also unlock new modes to play through including the level editor, a training area (with extremely easy courses) and a series of levels featuring a few new play styles in Mysterious Pushmo.
Three new mechanics are introduced in this area including linked blocks that move all blocks of the same color when pushed/pulled, Yin-Yang blocks that move the inverted colors in the opposite direction that you push/pull, and timed blocks that retract after a certain amount of time. These are all enjoyable, unique variations of the gameplay but are only showcased in a 50 level mode so they are limited (and you can’t use them in the level editor mode either so there won’t be any user-made content with these additional features).
All-in-all, Pushmo World is a great way to make use of some eShop dollars, especially if you’re new to the experience. For those of us that have already played Pushmo, there isn’t much in the experience to necessitate an additional purchase (the three new gameplay styles are worthwhile but too short lived). Ultimately, if you own a 3DS, Pushmo is still best served on the portable, 3D device and its counterpart Crashmo is another worthy experience (and for a few dollars cheaper, the two games together nearly equal the price of this installment at the current prices).
