Morph


Title		Morph
Game Type	Puzzle
Players		1
Company		Millenium
Compatibility	1 Mb RAM
HD Installable	Yes
Submission	Kristian Hesketh Profiled Reviewer

Review
Morph is a cute puzzle game in a platform environment. The graphics are
colourful and well animated. The gameplay is similar to classics such as
Fury of the Furries, but more methodical and taxing.

The aim of the game is to collect cog pieces scattered around many levels
to fix a machine. This machine turned morph into a collection of particles
and once repaired, will allow morph to become his old self again, instead
of an undetermined metaphysical state. Yes.

The intro is quite good and handdrawn, but is of little consequence to
the actual game. It actually made me not want to complete the game, as the
main character looks a lot better as a collection of molecules than as a
person.

Your character (Morris Rolph) has the ability to "morph" into one of four
physical states; solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Solid is very heavy and
can break through fragile walls, but sink in water and fall through unsafe
floor. Liquid can squeeze through drains and put out fires, but is
dissolved in water. Gas can fly upwards, but cannot go down. It will burn
easily and can be sucked into extraction fans. Plasma can bounce and is
therefore the most versatile as it can go in any direction. It bursts when
in contact with sharp objects, burns easily, but it can float over water.

Each level gives you a certain number of stars and a certain number of
tokens for each state. Every time you morph you lose a star and a token
from the state you morphed into. There are stars and tokens littered
around the levels to replenish your abilities. To change state you hold
down the fire button and pull in the direction corresponding to that
state. It's a simple system that works effectively.

The design of the levels is clever and sometimes even fiendish. There are
loads of obstacles that will prevent morph from passign them in a certain
state, forcing him to change. There is a timer running which isn't very
tough to beat, but the limits on morph's transformations are quite strict.

As well as the obstacles morph faces during his travels (bunsen burners,
weak floors, extractor fans) there are bonuses such as treasure chests.
Then there are the heaters and freezers which are quite an original idea.
If morph enters a freezer/heater, he automatically transforms without
losing any tokens, but only in a special way. A simple grasp of chemistry
helps to know what happens to morph. If he enters a freezer he becomes the
more solid state and if he enters a heater he becomes the more gaseous
state. Solid, Plasma, Liquid, Gas. (E.g. Solid in a heater --> Plasma,
Liquid in a freezer --> Plasma.) If a solid passes through a freezer or a
gas through a heater then nothing happens.

This makes the levels more difficult, but still fun. The whole game is
nice and calming, but never panicky. The graphics are good, the sound is
passable (although sometimes fun) and the level design is clever. Even if
you fail the level, you are still allowed to continue just to find out
what to do when you try again. It a nice friendly game that won't make you
angry or cross, so I invite everyone to enjoy it and bask in it's relaxing
qualities.

N.B. The AGA/CD32 version looks nicer and has twice as many levels :)





Category list.

Alphabetical list.