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    Fluidity: Spin Cycle Review [3DS]

    Winters Thief Zero
    Winters Thief Zero
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    Fluidity: Spin Cycle Review [3DS] Empty Fluidity: Spin Cycle Review [3DS]

    Post by Winters Thief Zero Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:39 pm

    I always post my reviews way later than I want, but at least this is only a couple days late. Razz Here's my review of Fludity: Spin Cycle for the Nintendo 3DS eShop!



    As an eShop title, Fluidity: Spin Cycle really stands out. I've played a few other first party titles on the service that eventually seem to get repetitive, but this one isn't like that at all.

    Story
    Fludity: Spin Cycle doesn't have the most interesting plot, but it certainly does it's job of setting up the game and why you're there. An old wizard is reading a book of fairy tales, and feels it should be more magical. In order to achieve this, he lets out the Rainbow Spirits from a bottle, magical creatures that make the storybook feel more alive. However, when he leaves for the night, the Dark Magic gets jealous that it doesn't get to be in the storybook, and leaks out of it's bottle into the book, trapping the Rainbow Spirits within each story. The Water Spirit notices this, and jumps out of his bottle to save the Rainbow Spirits from the Dark Magic.

    Like I said, not the most interesting story, but it works and I won't complain, as most of the goodness of the game comes from the gameplay. One thing I will note however, is that the game does take place in this storybook, like you're actually playing within the pages of a story, sometimes with characters from these stories showing up, which I really liked.

    Gameplay
    This is where the game show's it's incredibly unique and unlike any other. The Water Spirit who goes to save the Rainbow Spirits is actually controlled in the level as a puddle of water. You tilt the 3DS left and right to move this puddle of water. The game is largely a puzzle game where you try to navigate this puddle of water through tons of different machines and whatnot. These can include something simple like a switch opening a door or shooting your water upward, but there are also quite complicated ones. Of course, controlling only the water is a bit simple, you'll also not only acquire different powers such as being able to hold your water together, but also be able to switch between the 3 forms of water: Liquid, Ice, and Gas. (or really cloud in Fluidity's case) You can also collect bubbles to give you more water when you lose it. There are many ways you can lose water, ranging from fire to simply keeping a portion of your water somewhere else. (where it will then evaporate) I'd like to mention that there were a few times I felt like I was being screwed over by this due to a door closing too quickly or something of the like, but for the most part it makes sense when you lose water and is completely fair.

    It's a simple idea, but it doesn't get stale at all. Every single level in the entire game is completely unique from the others, introducing new mechanics, or simply having a different level theme that affects the way you complete the level. This made me want to continue to play through each level, despite having trouble. And yes, you will have trouble with this game. While the first chapter/world is fairly easy and simple just to introduce you to the game's mechanics, the difficulty is VERY high. Perhaps it was just me, but a lot of these puzzles took me a long time to figure out. But when you do figure it out and complete the level, it feels very satisfying.

    Length and Replay Value
    This is something new I decided to add to my reviews, since I'd like to talk about the game length a bit. (in some cases it can be a deciding factor in how good the game is overall!) The game includes around 60 levels, which, for a $10 eShop game that's this great, is a huge amount of levels. After completing every level, it probably took me around 15 hours due to having so much difficulty with some of the levels. However, if you're up to it, there are also Puzzle Pieces to find in each level, which in some cases can be hard to find. (I haven't found them all, and I'm not sure if they give you anything special) In addition, the game ranks you on how many bubbles you collected and if you completed it within a time limit. (this is an optional time limit and only matters if you're trying to get the highest possible ranking)

    So if you're into that kind of thing or are just a perfectionist, there's definitely quite a bit to do, even if you've finished the game. And overall for an eShop game, I say it's definitely long enough to warrant the price.

    Controls
    Fluidity: Spin Cycle probably has the weirdest control scheme I've ever seen in a video game. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. You simply tilt the 3DS left and right (or occasionally spin the 3DS around entirely 360 degrees, but you're always using the gyrosensor, no motion sensor) in order to move your puddle of water, or ice/cloud depending on your form. There are also buttons on the touch screen which activate machines and powers. In additon, you can use L or R to jump, and the 3DS Slide Pad is occasionally used to activate a few things.

    It takes a little bit to get used to it, but the control setup works surprisingly well. The way you control it feels just right. I did have a couple problems, though. For one, the 3DS doesn't support multi-touch, and there are a few cases where I felt like I should be able to press 2 buttons at once. Of course, the 3DS not having multi-touch isn't a fault of developers Curve Studios, but it still annoyed me at times. I also found it difficult at times to control the water as well as objects falling in the level by tilting it at times. This is only the case in 1 or 2 specific levels however.

    Otherwise, the controls are actually pretty good.

    Graphics
    Not much to say here, but the graphics perfectly suit the type of game this is. One thing you'll notice immediately is that there is no 3D option. However, I'm honestly glad it's not there. Because you're constantly moving it around, there would be no way to see the 3D and it would be kind of pointless anyway.

    Sound
    The sound quality is just fine for a 3DS game. The sound effects are perfect and I actually kind of enjoyed hearing some of them. As for the music, it's meh at best. While I would NEVER consider it bad or annoying, it's just kind of boring and unmemorable. It's also repeated pretty often, even if there are some different tracks throughout the game.

    Overall
    Fluidity: Spin Cycle is a great little puzzle game for the 3DS eShop. It's a very unique idea, I've never seen another game where you control a puddle of water. It's also very challenging and each level is a new experience. I had a few problems here and there, but overall I really loved Fluidity: Spin Cycle and highly recommend it.

    score:

      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:39 am