reviews

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Pop - Wiiware: The Name Says it All; Posted About 1 month ago by Sarah

Game: Pop
Genre: Puzzle
Platform: Wiiware

With the launch of Wiiware in the U.S. earlier today, Wii owners suddenly have a handful of quirky and inexpensive games readily available for download. Pop is one such game, an extremely simple puzzle game that offers a few minutes of enjoyment. Unfortunately, those wanting a deeper experience, or more content for their 700 Wii Points, should probably skip this game, which can be summed up in the one word that is its title.

The objective of Pop is to pop bubbles. That’s it. The player uses the Wii remote as a pointer and pops away, adding more time to the clock and accumulating points. There are different ways to keep the game going while racking up a high score; smaller bubbles are worth more points than bigger ones, while bigger bubbles add more time to the clock. There are also a few power-up bubbles that assist you in various ways, such as enlarging your pointer or expanding to pop all of the surrounding bubbles, as well as deadly skulls that hinder your performance. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t miss entirely, because then you lose even more time on the already ticking clock. At the end of the day, though, the strategy remains “pop as many bubbles as possible until it’s Game Over.”

The visual style and soundtrack are just as simplistic as the concept, although that doesn’t mean they are unpleasant. Each wave of bubbles will change in color, with a simple instrumental tune playing in the background. There are 16 waves total to play through, but getting that far is the challenge, as you are constantly popping against the clock. If you don’t pop fast enough, or miss too many times, time will run out, and it’s Game Over.

The same concept applies in the multiplayer game. Up to four players can get in on the bubble-popping action, playing against each other and the clock while trying to get the highest score. The only notable difference is the addition of power-ups that deter the other players. These power-ups do things like locking out the other players and keep them from popping for a few seconds, or making only the bubbles surrounding your cursor visible and blacking out the rest of the screen. Even with these additions, Pop is essentially the same whether you’re playing it by yourself or with others.

Pop does offer mild entertainment, but I found that it only kept me occupied for a few minutes before I grew bored. Even with up to 4 players, it’s only so long before you are ready to move on to another game or find something else to do. While this game isn’t bad, it doesn’t have that addictive factor that puzzle games need to keep players coming back. It’s also not entertaining enough to warrant spending seven dollars on. Unfortunately, I think I’m going to have to pass on Pop.