RealPlay Puzzlesphere review

Jan 8, 2008

Puzzlesphere might look like potentially the most fun out of the RealPlay range, but that impression couldn’t be more wrong. How come? Essentially, you navigate your ‘Xorb’ through a series of increasingly diabolic levels, a bit like classic puzzler Marble Madness back on the NES, only this is in 3D. You do so by tilting your peripheral in your chosen direction, liberally tapping the green button to apply the breaks. And therein lies the problem.

Yup, you guessed it - it’s the peripheral, in this case the Puzzlesphere, whose botched motion sensitivity will see you plummeting to your death quicker than you can say ‘lemming party.’ Astonishingly, your power-up button is mapped onto the D-pad, so you actually need to tilt your Puzzlesphere back to reach it.

Thanks to the peripheral, Puzzlesphere requires the patience of an immortal and the hand-eye coordination of an Olympic gymnast. As tests of mental fortitude go, it’s up there with Chinese water torture - hardly the kind of family entertainment it claims to be.