I had no interest in picking up Osmos when it first rocketed to the top of the iPad charts. Having only seen screenshots and read the game’s description, it did not sound like anything I wanted to play. However, the strong buzz and sale price a few weeks ago of $0.99 made it hard to refuse. When I first played the game, I was totally turned off by the game’s simple concept and initially awkward controls. But then…it clicked.
Before I get too ahead of myself, let’s talk about the basics of Osmos if you’re not familiar with the game. You play as a single-cell organism, trying to ‘eat’ smaller single-cell organisms and avoid being ‘eaten’ by bigger single-cell organisms. There are a few different level variations and objectives at times, but the core of the game is to eat the smaller organisms and avoid the bigger ones. On paper, this isn’t that exciting.
The controls were very disorienting at first. In order to move, you tap behind your organism, which causes the mote to eject a bit of itself to propel itself forward. While you get to move, you do it at the cost of your own size. If you tap too much, you’ll shrink to a point where everything is bigger than you.
What tied the whole game together for me was the time-control mechanic. You have the ability to speed up or slow down time to your advantage. This works out great when you want to move forward quickly without ejecting too much of yourself. Just tap a bit and then speed up time to watch your mote float quickly where you want it to go. Likewise, slowing down time can help you immensely when you need to make very precise movements through treacherous situations.
Once I got a grasp of how to play this game, I really got into it. When it’s going great, it’s hypnotic. Bit.Trip Beat is also hypnotic at its best, but Osmos isn’t nearly as frenetic. I’ve never done Yoga before, but I would imagine Osmos being the video game equivalent to the place that it brings your mind to. The only thing that can break you from that Zen state is when the game gets tricky. Once you get a handle on the situation though, it’s easy to just zone out and work your way towards micro-biology dominance.
If you are in the market for a high-concept and artsy fartsy game experience, Osmos can definitely fill that bill. It’ll take a few minutes to get a grip on how the game wants you to play it, but once you get it, it’s a neat audio/visual/gameplay treat.
In Third Person 