Reviewed: August 31, 2010
Reviewed by: Jason Flick

Publisher
Eiconic Games Ltd

Developer
Eiconic Games Ltd

Released: August 3, 2010
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1

9
8
8
9
8.5

Supported Features:

  • Memory Stick Duo (288 KB)
  • Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc (2 Players)
  • Wi-Fi Infrastructure (2 Players)

    		•  Last year I got a chance to review Eiconic’s winter wonderland of an arcade title, Polar Panic. I thoroughly enjoyed its new yet nostalgic gameplay and simple graphics. This year Polar returns in Minis fashion with the release of Arctic Adventures: Polar’s Puzzles for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.

    As a gamer and a reviewer this is my first experience with PlayStation Minis. This actually doesn’t surprise me since my PSP hasn’t been getting a lot of love as of late. Minis, for those of you who don’t know, are bite-sized titles that are usually under 100MB and are marketed primarily for the PSP, though like the bigger arcade releases, will also work on the PlayStation 3.

    Arctic Adventures: Polar’s Puzzles features the same highly addictive gameplay and simple controls that Polar Panic offered but without the story, power-ups and enemies. But make no mistakes, just because the enemies are gone doesn’t make the experience any easier. Arctic Adventures offers 50 brand new levels that take you back to familiar locations such as the Oil Rig and Ice Truck. The same rules apply as you must make your way through each puzzle sliding ice blocks, metal and explosive crates to unlock your way to your goal.

    As you successfully complete each puzzle you will eventually unlock more of the puzzles. One of the charms of Arctic Adventures is that even after you complete each puzzle you still want to go back and do it better, and if you’re anything like me then you probably will. One of my favorite levels requires you to set off a chain reaction of explosions that will blow open a cracked wall that allows you to escape. This is also one of the trickier puzzles as you can completely fail by trapping yourself in the area or worse yet blowing yourself up in the process and having to restart the puzzle. There are multiple puzzles within Arctic Adventures that can and will make you restart the puzzle once you’ve realized that you’ve messed up. There is nothing more satisfying than solving a puzzle that has been giving you grief.

    As I mentioned before, Arctic Adventures can be played on both the PSP and well as the PS3. Control wise they are the same but when it comes to graphics Arctic Adventures looks marginally better on the PSP. While it is completely playable on the PS3, I highly recommend opting for the PSP’s smaller screen. Bigger isn’t always better as I’ve come to find out with these download titles. The visuals are crisp and combined with the soothing music make Arctic Adventures one of the most gorgeous download titles that I’ve seen on the PSP.

    Arctic Adventures: Polar’s Puzzles can be purchased from the PlayStation Network store for around $5 dollars which you can download directly to your PSP or to your PS3 then copy it over later. The 50 puzzles will give you hours of addictive entertainment and will make you keep coming back for more.

    I’d never tried out any of the numerous Minis that are on the PlayStation Network, let alone knew what they were all about. Well, that all changed with this review. With icy smooth graphics, solid controls and addictive gameplay Arctic Adventures: Polar’s Puzzles is a welcome addition to the PSP’s library. Eiconic has done it again with this must have puzzle adventure. Charge up you PSP and let the fun begin.