Endorfun

Endorfun Review

Best described as an interactive Fruitopia commercial, Endorfun's puzzle game is set against a background of pulsating, shimmering, moving, colorful patterns. The colors animate to the hypnotic rhythm of jazzy World Beat and New Age music performed by The O Band, a collection of artists led by Nigerian master drummer, Onye Onyemaechi. Layered in the soundtrack are 100 subliminal messages of positive self-affirmation, a first for computer gaming. The messages are undetectable by the conscious mind, but comprehensible, at least in theory, by your subconscious. They range from the harmonious ("I love the world and the world loves me") to the downright scary ("It's OK for me to have everything I want").

Frankly, after playing the game for several hours, I don't feel any more confident or joyous. In fact, there seem to be opposing forces within the game itself: while the music soothes your nerves, the increasing challenge of each level increases your stress.

Even so, Endorfun is a challenging, unique puzzle game that is pleasant to look at and listen to. On a technical note, this game seems to be rather temperamental when run under Windows 95, causing a random general protection fault. While I found many complaints about this problem on TWI's America Online forum, there were no public answers or patch files posted. Perhaps the tech support folks figured the game's subliminal messages are enough to keep players happy. In closing, let me state that I now have an uncontrollable urge to let you know that I am a beautiful and perfect spirit.

Gamespot