There is no better way to enjoy a holiday than with a good puzzle game – they are wonderful little gems in the video game world. Given the technical and complex narrative advancements of video games over the last ten years alone, I am highly suspicious of any video game that requires the player to merely jump over obstacles without applying some level of critical thinking.

Platform: Nintendo Wii/Wiiware
ESRB: E (Everyone)
Genre: Puzzle
Number of Players: 1-2
Developer: Two Tribes
Release Date: December 11 2009 (PAL), December 14 2009 (NA)
Official Website: http://www.rubikspuzzlegalaxy.com/

But the concept of Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH frustrated me.

In my experience, it is a stretch to have a puzzle game on a console that is not a handheld console. Give me any number of puzzle games on my Nintendo DS and I will huddle away like a squirrel coveting a beautiful acorn. But put that puzzle on a 40″ LCD screen and it loses its accessibility and its quiet wonder.

I am aware that Nintendo’s WiiWare range caters for innovative, small-budget creations, and I have found many games that I am glad to have in my collection. But this is the first time I have had a pureblood puzzle game on my Nintendo Wii. Even though it took me a while to warm to a game that is, for lack of a better phrase, a chip off of an old block, I can see why many others have sung nothing but praises for this quirky but stylish WiiWare release.

Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is quite a loveable little offspring of its semi-successful parent, Rubik’s Puzzle World (which, to prove my point, was also released on the Nintendo DS with slightly higher ratings). Using a mini game from the original World release, Two Tribes has developed its initial premise into a stand-alone WiiWare game. They have expanded the mini game to contain 70 or more puzzles in total, which seems worth the 600 Wii Points.

Each puzzle requires the player to place directional tiles in the correct positions on the playing field, which will safely allow automatically-spawning cubes to roll towards the corresponding ‘exit points’. There are different tiles that cause cubes to change direction, speed, or even warp to a different point in the game. All of these are demonstrated in a 6-puzzle tutorial session (requiring approximately five minutes to complete), and then the player is whisked away to the puzzles.

For those who would like a taste of the title’s namesake, RUSH also includes the original Rubik’s Cube as a bonus. The player can try to solve one of the four sizes of Rubik’s Cubes available, play a pattern-matching mode, or compete in two player mode. Two Tribes have also provided a tutorial on how to solve the original Rubik’s Cube, which may save many people ripping off the coloured squares on their Cubes and gluing them back on to cheat their way to victory.

The developers have worked hard to build more challenges as well as make RUSH look like a title specifically designed for the Wii, mimicking the colour style and ambience that is synonymous with the Wii brand. I think that this is something that works in their favour, and certainly allowed me to enjoy its premise. Playing on a 40″ screen, the picture and colours turned out great. The one downfall was with the sound. An early puzzle that contained multiple moving blocks and multiple warp points made me reach for the ear plugs as the sound was disgustingly grating. Options are available to turn off both sound effects and music if you choose, but it is a shame than there is no way to adjust the sound levels up or down for sensitive ears or sound phobic animals.

Overall, RUSH is a game that any Wii owner will enjoy for about 15-30 minutes prior to firing up a full-length game in their console library. The challenges for each puzzle are there, and the level of critical and spatial thinking is evident from the very first puzzle. True, I cannot help but believe that truly immersive games on consoles are created with a narrative context (with even World of Goo giving the player a vat of relatable ‘characters’), and RUSH lacks this element. That does not make it a bad game, but it can alter the engagement with the content of the game, as well as long-term interest.

It is not a game that I will stay awake playing at night, but certainly is a game that I savoured in small bites on a summer afternoon before firing up Metroid Prime. If you have the Wii Points spare, it is a good addition to provide variety to your holiday repertoire.