Osmos (IPHONE) Review

It may come as no surprise that there is a lot of crap in the iTunes app store. There is some really good stuff too, but you often have to sift through all the mediocre games to find something that's worthwhile, or read reviews to find something you might enjoy. I've been hearing a lot about this game Osmos (developed by Hemisphere games) recently, so i decided to download it to see what all the fuss is about. It's only $2.99, so if it sucked it wasn't a huge loss for me. But it doesn't suck. No, this is a game where the level of enjoyment is on par or perhaps even surpases the hype. This is indeed the opus of mobile gaming.

Originally developed for the iPad, Osmos was recently ported to the iPhone, possibly so that it could gain a larger following. Not a terrible idea, knowing how popular it was on the iPad. You play as a circular, single-celled organism called a "mote". There are different types of levels in the game, but in all of them your main goal is to get as big as possible. To do this, you must move your mote towards smaller motes and absorb them by moving over them (the smaller motes will always be blue so you don't get confused). To move your character, you must tap your finger BEHIND where you want it to go. So if you want to move up, you tap directly below the mote. The faster you tap the faster he will move, and you can change his direction mid-stream by tapping in a different spot. As you continue to move the mote, you leave behind a trail of your own matter. This in turn makes you smaller, so if you use move too fast you may end up being consumed by larger motes and have to start the level over again. You need to be percise in how fast you move and what direction you are going, making sure you don't attack too carelessly. This offers a good level of challenge, but not so much that it becomes impossible.

There are three different types of "zones" in the game: sentient, ambient, and force. In the sentient levels most of the other motes on the screen are moving at random, and as usual the main goal is to get as big as possible or become the biggest. Because a lot of them are moving around, this makes it pretty challenging because of the fear that one of them will come out of no where and absorb you. To make things even more difficult, on certain levels in the sentient mode there are actual mote predators who will actively try to absorb you, and some that will try to repel you away. In the ambient levels, you are completely surrounded by inactive motes and you need to start moving around and absorbing them until you are the biggest. It's not so easy though, because a lot of them are huge and so you need to find a safe path until you do become big enough. Finally, in the force levels you are trying to run away from a huge "attractor mote" that is consuming everything while at the same time trying to become larger by consuming other motes. I found these levels to be the most frustrating and unenjoyable, but with time and effort they are definitely completable.


Looking at the controls, they're pretty much flawless. Moving the mote seems so effortless and perfect. Once you start moving, the momentum will keep it going until you move it in another direction, and the changes in movement aren't sharp and clunky, it's a real smooth transition. If you're moving too fast towards a larger mote that is going to absorb you, you better tap fast in the opposite direction or it will be too late. In a nutshell, the controls are very realistic and easy to adjust too, as you would hope most iPhone games would be.

I personally loved the visuals, although admittedly if you are not really into the artsy style games you may not enjoy them as much. That being said, there's no arguing that the graphics are fantastic for the iPhone. While the background is nothing to get excited about (not that it should be in this game) the particles are very well designed and since there are a variety of different types, it's not as though you are stuck with the same ones to gaze upon the entire game. As for the music, it's not exciting on any level, but should it be? For the most part this game is very calming, and fast paced music wouldn't go well with that, it would ruin the atmosphere. Instead we have ambient type music, very calming, and i couldn't see this game with anything else. The game even tells you to put your headphones on at the beginning, and when you do the whole game seems to surround you. It's a really cool experience.

I've heard that the game gets increasingly more frustrating as you get further along, but even if I get stuck somewhere along the lines I still couldn't give this game anything less than perfect. It's a game that I think I will always come back to, and those are the ones you remember the most. What sealed the deal is the $2.99 price tag, definitely the best bargain I've ever gotten out of an app. If you're into puzzle type games, or even if you're not (like me), I think you'll have a good experience with this one.

-James C.