Mercury Meltdown Revolution [Wii]

Using the Wii's motion controls to maneuver blobs of liquid metal through obstacle-laden mazes makes for a challenging game that has more wacky twists to it than players would ever expect.

Using various laboratory-themed levels, players guide their blob(s) of mercury through various maze-like levels toward a goal against time. Along the way, structural obstacles such as ramps and bridges ensure the path is less than smooth. Mazes can also include a variety of interactive elements, such as conveyors, force fields, guillotines, and gravity benders that affect your blob in various ways. If that wasn't enough, some levels contain enemies that will eat, poison or zap your mercury. Players will also need to use various "Paint Shop" devices to change the color of their blob(s) to open color-coded gates, often mixing blobs of different colors to achieve the proper hue.

While the game does include a tutorial, and even a large "Playground" area to practice in, the difficulty starts at a higher level than expected and ramps up surprisingly fast. Younger players (or less patient adults) might find some of the mazes quite frustrating, even on the early levels. Luckily, you can skip on to the next maze if you like. Collecting bonus items in the main game boosts your score, and also unlocks a handful of party games, such as "Paint", where players compete to roll their blob around and cover the most area with their color.

While this title has appeared on the PSP and PS2 previously, the addition of motion control support definitely makes this title worth a look, even if you've played it before. It's more challenging and potentially frustrating than it seems at first though, and could have used some easier levels for younger players.

7/10