PixlBit

Not many games have bored me like Puddle has. This game is a victim of itself, providing a very simple and laid back gameplay mechanic that is so relaxed that it may put gamers to sleep. If it’s not putting you to sleep, it’s frustrating you with gameplay situations that you would rather not be in. While the game is somewhat acceptable in short bursts, playing for any time longer than ten minutes will either enrage you or tire you. Simply put, you probably wouldn’t care enough to play the game. 

Puddle is a game that seems like it has an interesting concept. Players guide a liquid, which can range from things like water to hot wax, over a course. The catch is, you don’t have direct control over the liquid itself -- you control the environment. The only controls in the game are the left and right triggers, which tilt the world left and right, respectively. Using this mechanic, your goal is to get the liquid to a destination without losing too much of your mass along the way. While this starts out somewhat fun, it quickly grows frustrating. 

The goal in most levels is to finish without losing too much liquid along the way. Using the tilt mechanic, players will try to build up momentum and guide their puddle of liquid to the exit. A gauge in the top right corner of the screen indicates how much liquid you have available, and how much is needed to complete the course. If you lose too much liquid along the way, you are forced to restart the level. Obstacles like fire, bottomless pits, and even things like venus flytraps can dramatically reduce the amount of liquid that you have, so it's imperative to use the momentum that you gain from traveling to avoid these traps. 

This is partly where the trouble comes in. Liquid easily gets segmented and left behind, making it hard to manage. Often times you will lose huge amounts of liquid and you won’t really have had much control over it. There are levels that present the right amount of challenge, however there are just as many levels that force you to redo them over and over. Without full control, luck comes into play far too often. Some levels do provide shortcuts that make reaching the end goal a bit easier, but often players will be more concerned with just finishing the level rather than looking for shortcuts.

The game hosts about nine different levels that contain about six sections each. Each level ends with a boss-like encounter where you have to use the liquid to complete a specific task. One early boss has you trying to wet a generator and cause it to explode. Players do this by tilting the world side to side, treating the water like it’s on a vert-ramp. At the apex of its climb you're supposed to tilt the opposite direction in order to get the water to the point where it needs to be. While it’s not a difficult concept to grasp, it became frustrating at times when the liquid isn’t acting in the way that you thought it would.

Thankfully, Puddle is complemented by soothing music and a decent graphical design. It’s simple and colorful. Human characters and bigger objects are often silhouetted while the majority of the things you will be sliding upon are nicely stylized. While it’s nothing to marvel at, the game looks far from bad. As stated before, the music is very relaxing almost to a fault. Since you really aren’t doing much but pressing the left and right trigger, it’s easy to be overcome by the music and fall into a tired trance-like state. 

Puddle is a game that I wanted to like when I first started playing it. Unfortunately, the game does little to engage the player, and instead does a lot that ends up being frustrating. Eventually as you play through levels, you will wonder why you are even playing the game, for there is no drive to complete it. Games like these seem to be a good fit for mobile devices; however on a console, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pay money to sit and be utterly bored. Ultimately, I’d say this Puddle is best avoided.