Pixeljunk Eden

Pixeljunk Eden

As the third entry in Japanese developer Q Entertainment’s line-up of PlayStation Network titles, Pixeljunk Eden already has heightened expectations to live up to. The first game, Pixeljunk Racers was a wild reimagining of the 8-bit top down racing games of the 1980s while Pixeljunk Monsters provided a slick and funny update to the web game, Desktop Tower Defense, securing the reputation of the Pixeljunk name. Eden, however, is a more unique proposition, its mechanics and visuals nothing quite like anything we’ve seen before.

The game presents players with ten levels or ‘gardens’, which must be explored with a diminutive sprite like character referred to by the game as a ’Grimp’. At its heart this is a collect ‘em up, the ultimate aim being to find on of the five glowing ‘Spectra’ objects hidden in each garden. Higher than they are wide, the gardens require you to move upwards toward this goal, jumping from plant to plant as you do so and using a tiny silk thread to swing your Grimp off objects to gain momentum and distance.

Initially the number of plants in the garden is relatively small. To make more plants grow, thus creating new ledges and platforms to ascend, you’ll need to harvest pollen from buds floating on the wind. Smash the bud and collect enough pollen and new plants will grow upward, leading, like Jack’s beanstalk, ever closer to the prize.

The game’s stark, LocoRoco-esque visuals and ambient soundtrack make exploring the garden a leisurely and enjoyable pursuit. However, this enjoyment is slightly offset by the crude control scheme, that’s been so simplified as to make your Grimp a little difficult to control. Frequently you’ll find yourself accidentally jumping from a platform or cutting your silk thread when you meant to do the opposite simply by virtue of the fact that all of the Grimp’s controls are mapped to a single button.

Likewise, a constantly depleting health bar acts as a timer to limit your exploration time. While this can be refilled by collecting the appropriate pick-up, it adds a consistent niggling pressure that’s otherwise at odds with the rest of the leisurely experience.

With 50 Spectra to collect, five in each garden, Eden’s a wide game. However, you’re limited to collecting one Spectra per visit to a garden (a bit like when trying to collect Mario’s stars) a design decision that makes the game a more prolonged experience than it need have been. These complaints are minor ones however, emphasized simply because of the quality of the rest of the game. There’s a rare purity of vision and assured execution here and Eden emerges as one of the most confident and enjoyable titles on PlayStation Network as a result.

4 out of 5