Playstation Minis Review – Where is my Heart?
Published By: Copenhagen Game Collective, Published By: Copenhagen Game Collective, Genre: Platformer/Puzzle, Release Date: November 8, 2011, Rating: RP, Systems: Playstation Portable/Playstation 3 (Minis).
Presentation: Where is my Heart? is a 2D puzzle platformer game that is centered around a family of three monsters that takes place in a disorientating forest. If you ever been to a funhouse with the weird disorientating mirrors. Think the latter set in a tranquil 2D videogame world and you sorta have Where is my Heart?. The overall presentation of this PSP/Minis game is that of a calming adventure. The visuals, gameply and sound design all create in impressive picture that i really enjoyed.
Story – The monsters are the story and gameply of Where is my Heart? Strictly for the story side its about a family of three monsters who are lost. The forest they are lost in is filled with weird strange disorientating visuals. The only way out is to work together and collect hearts.
Visuals: Where is my Heart doesn’t shatter any graphical benchmarks but instead uses art and creativity to attract gamers (me). I thought the game looked good. The monster protagonists all featured a color coded gameplay mechanic. The world on some stages are filled with trees, clouds, hills and mountains. Other levels are in a dark cave with spikes and danger. The color and artwork stand out, not the textures. The color palette for the most part is that of light colors that gave me a calm feeling. If you played Flower on PSN the art and colors sorta reminds me of that game.
Sound Design: Catchy music that shifts and changes depending on the level. No distortion like many Playstation Minis games. The music and sound design like everything else creates a calming effect. I never felt intense while playing through Where is my Heart?.
Gameplay: At its heart (no pun intended) Where is my Heart? is a 2D puzzle platformer game featuring a Comic Panel Effect. The effect creates a distoriating effect while platforming and increases the game’s difficulty immensely. You play levels with the three monsters who must get to the exit of each level. Exits most times are either a tree or a door. Getting to the exit takes work. You have to collect hearts with specific colored monsters while not letting the funhouse effects kill you.
Hearts you collect perform various functions on each level. Sometimes they create bridges and on others they feed trees which can activate the exit. In any case, they provide the route in which you can exit a particular level. The platforming arrives when you have to use each monster whether its to jump on each other (monster) to access a heart or to activate a color coded heart. Getting all three monsters into the exit is the only way you can access the next level. Overall the gameplay is addicting confusing and fun. Where is my Heart? was a really nice 2D puzzle platformer.
Replayability: This is where Where is my Heart? fails like most Minis games. Once you beat all of the levels the game ends and you don’t have any reason to play it again. Some levels are challenging and some lasts ten seconds. Its not a long game and that is the idea behind Playstation Minis unfortunately.
Final Verdict: Where is my Heart? is a very good Playstation Minis game. The 2D puzzle platforming was fun, addicting and challenging at times. The atmosphere was really calming and enjoyable. The music and sound design was delivered well. The game doesn’t have much replay value which is the problem with Minis. Otherwise Where is my Heart? is a winner in my book.
8/10
