ilomilo; a world full of childhood memories

One of the best puzzle games I played last year (Got an early trial code to unlock the full game) and the only puzzle game I’ve played this year. ilomilo is like a world full of childhood memories. One of the first things I noticed about playing the game is the soundtrack which is filled with whistling and xylophone dinging music. Then the world opens up to our characters Ilo and Milo, two best friends who are always getting separated by the always changing park filled with blocks. It is up to you to help the two rejoice.

  In the first chapter, you are welcomed by, Sebastian. A character, who wears colonial attire and rides, what appears to be a ladybug. This character acts as your tutorial guide and occasionally gives you hints. However, he is not only a helper, he also has his own back story. Sometimes this story goes on to an emotional time in his life when; his wife divorced him.

To unlock more of the other stories in the game you must first complete requirements such as; collecting enough “shinies”, records, photos, and little creatures called safkas. These will unlock memory fragments that were lost from the blocks changing so often. Yet, by trying to collect everything can cause some frustration or some difficulty completing a level 100 percent. Some problems that me and many other players have encountered is not being able to pickup a record because you aren’t accessing it the “proper” way, when you clearly are touching it. Some other problems that I haven’t personally experienced is the game freezing the whole system when trying to pickup a moving block. These are only two problems I know of.

Not only is there single player mode, there is also a cooperative mode. The co-op is that of Super Mario Galaxy’s co-op. Your friend controls a pointer that can help you point out  the not so obvious items or blocks that can help you along your journey. This includes eggs that can fetch you an achievement. The mode is available to players playing on one screen or through Xbox Live.

The design of the game is that of a child’s imagination; blocky, colorful, friendly, and cute. You will notice many creatures and buildings floating around the level. This may bring some nostalgia, of you going into the toy box as a kid and playing with the many toys and building blocks you’re parents gave you. The chapters will go beyond just a regular sky bubble, but will dwell below sea level or beyond the galaxy. This opens up how the game was developed with a kid’s imagination in mind. Included in some of the maps are crossovers from other games, such as World of Goo, and costumes for Ilo and Milo from Raskulls and A World of Keflings.

ilomilo, is such a wondrous game to explore. Many levels may challenge some, while others will find it very easy to beat the game under 4 hours. With only a few flaws, the game is a well developed puzzle game that will make you feel nostalgic . The art style is crisp and colorful and looks beautiful. When finishing the game you will be craving more. The game may be a short Xbox Live Arcade game, but for a price tag of 800 MSP, you can’t really whine. If you got motion sickness from playing Super Mario Galaxy; then be warned for the later levels where you’ll be, twisty and curving around the levels to achieve your goal of uniting Ilo and Milo to be together again for another picnic. This is to say, the game isn’t for everyone especially if you consider yourself a, “Hardcore” gamer, none the less the game is quite amazing. I can only hope something as breath-taking of a game is spawned from SouthEnd Interactive.