Osmos HD by Hemisphere Games is a game that really lives up to its name.
I can’t say I’ve ever played a game like it before, it’s almost meditative. You play the part of this floating entity that’s almost amoeba like that goes around absorbing the smaller elements around you.
As you absorb the smaller pieces your size increases and then you are able absorb larger elements, the goal generally being to become the biggest. Some levels you have to grow just enough to absorb a special element.
Sounds simple enough but then you have to take into account that some levels have gravity and other have repulsers and a variety of other ‘bad guys’ to work around. You realize that something so simple can be a lot more difficult than it appears.
You ‘push’ yourself around by expelling small bits that you can later reabsorb as you float around. If your not careful and get too close to an amoeba larger than you can easily get sucked up into nothingness.
There are times where you just kinda want to float around and absorb everything in your path. A nice little touch for when you don’t have the patience is the finger swipe to speed up and slow down the fast everything is moving.
I’ve spent several hours in the game the last couple of nights and it’s really fun. I finally unlocked arcade mode, which opens up various levels in an Angry Birds/Cut the Rope style of leveling.
The game is absolutely beautiful, I love looking at the little amoebas as they float around and grow as they bounce and slurp each other up. There is something very soothing as you adjust your orbit on some of the gravity focused levels.
I recommend it if your looking for a new puzzle type game that doesn’t fit the typical puzzle model. It’s not often you can tie together the frustration of solving a problem with something so serene and soothing.
Osmos HD is available for the iPad and Android devices.