Simple, artistic, and engaging gameplay with Pixeljunk Eden
I wasn't a fan of Racer and slightly enjoyed monsters, but Eden has definitely gotten my attention. The jumping and diving mechanic (triggered by the moving the control down) were immediately frustrating. I kept falling short of my targets or overshooting. What became more frustrating was that I was running out of time. However, I began to get the hangs of things right after getting the first spectra and things have gone rather smoothly. Admittedly I am on stage 7 but so far I’m enjoying the game (I find this game most enjoyable in short bursts). I have to say that I’ve yet to play a stage where I don’t run out of time at least once. But the time limit is not frustrating any more. If anything, I take it as I am not playing the game strategically enough. I feel neither agitated nor relaxed when playing either. I simply find myself being rather focused and alert. I find a groove and things feel rather effortless (well, that is until you reach 6 and beyond, when things get a bit tougher). Yes, it is annoying to have to exit and re-enter a stage (garden) 5 times, but that’s why I think it is meant for short sessions (and that I appreciate). Plus, by the time you enter a garden for a 5 time, you know where everything else is and you can just focus on racking up points by getting combo after combo of pollen collecting.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable game that. Just don’t’ play it for hours on end or you’ll get tired of it.
If you get stuck, you can always visit Youtube and see some speed runs of the stages.
