I have to say, I am really loving Windows Phone 7 as a portable gaming platform. It’s been well over a decade since I was last into gaming in the way I am with Windows Phone 7. I guess this comes down to a combination of the ease with which one can access new titles. Purchasing apps and games over the air has been a real positive for me with WP7, and it’s nice to be finally using a mobile platform that is super current in this regard. The other reason why I’ve fallen for mobile gaming is the sheer depth of quality games available on this new platform. The latest game I have purchased is the cute and addictive ilomilo, which has a mind-bending implementation that does confuse me at times, but I am sure for younger audience members it’s going to quickly turn into yet another great puzzle game you can play in short bursts whilst waiting for your bus.
In ilomilo, you have a very simple objective to complete in each level - reunite the two titular characters, ilo and milo. Seems these cute little buggers have a nasty habit of consistently getting separated, and need to be reuinted. Along the way, they meet and rescue other little critters that are essentially baby versions of themselves, collect little balls of energy (not quite clear what they are, but let’s go with energy for the purposes of this review), and use and interact objects in their local environment to navigate the puzzle areas and meet up with the other person. It’s a simple concept, sure, and while the objective becomes very repetitive very quickly, this never became an issue for me. It’s just a pretence for making the story of the game function, with the real focus being on solving the obstacles that prevent you from getting ilo and milo together.
The gameplay is highly addictive, and the secret ingredient that makes ilomilo so fun to play is that you aren’t forced to choose between playing either character, you actually play both characters in each and every level. The map construction is such that you cannot get the two little fellas together just by having one do all the work - you have to actively keep switching between characters to ensure the task is completed. It’s a great idea, and makes for an interesting game. The way in which the characters interact with their world is fun is well - the constantly rotating environment is slightly confusing, yes, but it makes for a novel approach to what has traditionally been a very flat and linear map style. Throw in another set of XBox Live Achievements, and you have some stellar and addicting gameplay for someone of any age, be it 6 or 60 years old.
Speaking of the graphics, I have to say that with each new title I play on Windows Phone 7, I am even more amazed at what quality is being squeezed out of the tiny mobile processor contained inside the device. The graphics in ilomilo are, whilst quite cartoonish and colourful, easily on par with anything I’ve seen being produced on the desktop Windows in quite a long time. Movement is smooth, and there was no noticeable lag present in any stage of the game. The sound effects are cute, and the music is pleasing to hear, although it does get more than a little grating when you’re stuck on a single level for quite a length of time. Thankfully, when you hear that cheery little jingle as ilo and milo are reunited, it does fill you with happiness. Well, as much happiness as one can feel watching these two cuties spin around in a circle and vanish once more.
Overall, I throughly loved ilomilo. Another great addition to the ever-expanding catalogue of quality games to be found in the XBox Live Marketplace on Windows Phone 7. The fact that the game has also recently been made available in the XBox 360 Marketplace as well, complete with a multiplayer feature, just goes to show the following that this game is slowly gaining. Southend Interactive, the developers behind the game, definitely have a hit on their hands. I suspect there is a sequel being coded as we speak, because if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that ilo and milo clearly suck at staying together. At least they have us to help them overcome their lack of common sense.