You know the old “which came first, the chicken or the egg” question? Well, with Mercury Meltdown Revolution (MMR), it might be hard to figure out which came first, MMR or the Wii. The answer is that this very entertaining puzzle game first started out on the PSP, but there was always something missing: tilt control. The Wii video game system brings this tilt control, and the implementation is natural and perfect.
Okay, enough gushing about the controls. Let me tell you about the game. If you have ever broken a mercury thermometer, you know how mercury behaves. It is a liquid that can form balls, break into pieces and recombine, much as though it were practically any other liquid acting in zero gravity space.
The goal is to control your blob of mercury through different mazes, tracks and puzzles, trying to get it to the end of each level without losing too much of the stuff.
You’ll need to move fast, against the clock, and prevent pieces of your liquid metal from falling off. There are plenty of different obstacles to overcome or use to your advantage. Some things make your mercury harder or softer, change its color, attract it or repel it. Then there are the moving platforms and the escalators to deal with. You’ll need to pump up your dexterity to get through some of the trickier puzzles, and that tilt control can make all of the difference (but don’t worry, it is so responsive that it is scary).
There are different labs to visit, and you’ll be filling up test tubes in order to get through the levels and unlock the party games. Once a level is reached, you can go back to it at any time to improve your score or just replay it.
The few party games that MMR has are complete in themselves and a lot of fun. My family is a big fan of the race game, especially. In race, you have to go as fast as you can through a roller coaster type of track. Rodeo is pretty fun, too. In Rodeo, you have to keep your mercury on the platform while fans try to blow it off.
The graphics are bright and simple but precise. There is no violence at all in this game, unless you count bits of mercury falling off of a platform.
Mercury Meltdown Revolution is rated E for Everyone.
This review is based on the Wii version of the game.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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