Quality bubbles to the top

When you see this...

I wouldn't condemn anyone who isn't a misinformed parent/guardian for immediately thinking "Wow, I wouldn't donate that piece of garbage if I had to."

There's just so much wrong. Exclusive to Toys R Us can't be a good sign, the only thing that Toys R Us's game department should have as an exclusive is that blank stare I receive when I ask a question.

And Eidos? Those guys are still around? One good Tomb Raider game a year can really keep you afloat I suppose.

The one thing that just forces your eyes and mind into another direction is the art. Why is some nose-less punk blowing hot air at a bunch of Meteos characters? And I'm not sure if I trust those owls or not. What side of justice do they fall on?

But here's the thing. You can't let this stuff stop you from picking this beast up. I know that you've probably built a natural defense system around yourself, not allowing your hands to transfer cash over to a sales associate in exchange for something that would otherwise go unnoticed. But you need to shut that off, and realise that everything you've thought to be true is worth nothing.

Once this thread popped up at neoGaf, I knew I was through. I had to get my hands on it, further yellowing my pure white DS with nervous hand sweat. Since I can't find the damn thing up here, I got a friend in the U.S. to mail me up a copy. And wouldn't you know it, he did!

And it was completely worth it. I think I knew I was in for something special when the game's screen instructed me to "Touch the Touch Screen to Continue." Now, if you own a DS or have played one, you know that this is common. But the thing is, more often than not, you can just press any old button to advance. Not with Soul Bubbles though, you have to hit the touch screen, or you're going nowhere. That, my friends, is rare.

Perfectly respectable opinions aside, I'd have to consider this game a platformer. Using your stylus, you push around bubble-encased cargo around a level, guiding it so it gets to the end goal safe and sound. Aiding you are three masks, one that slices the large bubble into several smaller ones for easier transport, another that creates new bubbles, and lastly one that pops any useless bubbles. What hinders you on the other hand is much more varied. The environment offers plenty of twists and turns, many of which lead you into the throes of enemies who want your precious cargo. What makes them interesting is how you take them out. Cutting a frog's tongue, dousing a bomb with water, or simply tapping a crow's feathers clean off, there's plenty of variety found here.

Strewn throughout the stages are hidden items, and finding them takes a keen eye. There's lots of tiny slits in the stages that hide crevices which house just the goods your looking for. So, as well as being a platformer, there's plenty of puzzles to be found.

As a final note, the game's boxart is a bad example of what you'll find stored away on the cartridge. Hell, even the manual plays home to better drawings. The game's visuals are definitely charming, and I'm reminded of Lost Winds as I play. I cannot look any more forward to what Mekensleep has in store for us next.