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Egyptian Addiction

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Developer: BigToe
Publisher: BigToe
Genre: Puzzle & Casual > Logic
Released: Nov 20, 2005
Players: 1

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- 2006 Casual Game of the Year

- Egyptian Addiction Review

Okay, hold on and prepare to be immersed in one of the most aurally and visually impressive indie games you might see in a long time. Egyptian Addiction is an original puzzle game that simply amazes you when you first play it, both because the presentation is so smooth, and the game is so much at once.

In the game, you have to move a ball across a grid and touch other balls of the same color to eliminate them. Touching balls of another color will transfer control to the ball on the other side of the line of balls, much like in those desktop toys known as Newton's Cradles. The challenge is to find the right order in which to eliminate the balls of which colours to solve the level in less than 60 seconds. However, that's not all there is to it. The level architecture may change, usually in patterns, but sometimes triggered by your actions. The whole level may reconfigure itself into a different kind of maze every few seconds, and you will have to recognize the pattern to plan ahead where you can and where you cannot go in the next five seconds �€“ all while solving other parts of the puzzle in the meantime!

Plan ahead?

Yes. Egyptian Addiction is actually more of a "brain trainer" than a mere puzzle. It mixes pair matching with pathfinding, spatial partitioning problems, bin packing and a very unforgiving time limit. But while 60 seconds make for a very hectic game play experience, they're not unfair. Sure, your brain will meltdown in sheer panic in the moment your time runs out, because you only have a limited number of lives in total to solve a given set of levels. But if you take a couple of breaths and start over again, you'll see that suddenly, something in your mind takes control, and the level solves itself almost automatically.

You learned.

This learning experience and background processing in your brain is what makes Egyptian Addiction so much fun (to some, maybe even addictive). You play not because the game, but because your brain rewards you. It's a stressful kind of fun, and a neuropsychological factor called the "tapping frequency" plays a major role in how often you'll find yourself totally baffled and unable to even remotely grasp the complexity of the level in front of you.

Those moments show you how hard Egyptian addiction pushes you to the limit of your problem solving capabilities. There is almost no random factor in the game, it's all skill and conscious or subconscious work.

And skill, you will need plenty of.

Graphics: 10
The visual presentation of the game's chambers is awesome. The background of the chambers of non-photo-realistic Egyptian style ruins or temples, with an impressive amount of detail and insane architectural contortions. The playing field itself is plain, but well-textured. The balls all have vibrant colors and the currently controlled one is highlighted by a well-visible cursor. Also, on a mid-range computer, the game already runs perfectly smooth. For lower-end computers, some details can be turned off. The only negative aspect is the lack of high- and wide-screen resolutions, so you can't enjoy the game in all it's glory on that 21�€? cinema display of yours.

Sound: 9
The sound effects are simple, but they do the job, so no questions asked. In fact, it's hard for me as the reviewer to imagine a better set sound effects than the one included.

But then, there's the music, and it's absolutely great. Monumental samples and melodies create an almost epic soundscape that sucks you in and immerses you in the chambers of the game.

Game Play: 8
The only real mistake Egyptian Addiction makes is that in it's excellent tutorial, is suggests playing with a mouse and makes no mention to try the keys instead. The game plays much better with a game pad or a keyboard. Either way, the controls are very good and very precise. The frequent wrong moves that will occur during regular game play can all be attributed to the player, and this is why the game is never frustrating.

Value: 7
Egyptian Addiction is a bit expensive, seeing as there are only about a hundred levels in adventure mode, each to be solved in merely a minute. There is a survival mode with seemingly infinite levels, but that is surprisingly unrewarding. There's not cut scene and no advancement to new chambers in survival mode, only a stark result screen after the game has managed to overwhelm you. Also, a true multi player mode (hot seat or split screen could both work very well) is missing; the player profile management and high score tables don't make up for it.

Concept: 9
Because this is an original puzzle game with only very few edges, I'm inclined to award it 9 out of 10 in the concept rating. The game's balance is great, and there's a steep learning curve that continues through all three difficulty levels. There are hardly any moments where you could say �€œOuch, that was a lot harder than the last chamber�€? or �€œAww, that level was too simple�€?. The difficult game mode really is difficult, and the easy mode really is easy.

Fun: 8
You could say that one needs to have a masochistic streak to enjoy Egyptian Addiction. It's pure stress and hard work for your brains, putting you in situations that you everyday mind is simply not designed to solve. Egyptian Addiction can literally make your head hurt! However, being the wonderful machine our brain is, it will learn, and this learning experience is what makes the game fun. It's not necessarily addictive, but you will find yourself coming back for a regular fix of great graphics, spherical music and brutally complex puzzles. Hopefully, level add-ons will be available soon...

Overall: 9
Egyptian Addiction is an outstanding game with stunning visuals and a very new and original puzzle style that feels refreshingly genuine. It's arguably addictive component is described best as being a rigid work-out for the brain, drawing from the player's innate desire to learn and evolve into a better problem solving... uh... machine! Go, get your fix of Egyptian Addiction to find out how well-trained that mind of yours really is!

By: Moritz Voss
Posted: Thursday April 06, 2006