Soul Bubbles

In my search for unique DS games appropriate for an adult with a fondness for puzzles, I came across a “Best of 2008” list that included Soul Bubbles (by the French Studio, Mekensleep) — a game I had never heard of before. I immediately sought it out and discovered a tragedy. It seems that its publisher, Eidos, didn’t give it much of a chance in the market and it ended up being a Toys-R-Us exclusive, essentially defining it as something cute and easy and appropriate for little kids (who, I’m sure, would be bored to tears with this slow-paced puzzler). Hard core game reviewers treated it similarly and this very impressive little game never found an audience, then sadly disappeared.

Soul Bubbles (wikipedia entry) is more like a fine wine that you drink a little too much of over a long, mellow evening. The maze-based puzzles have no time constraint, you can take them as fast or slow as you want depending on the type of challenge that you seek. Initially, the paths are direct, easy to figure out; but about half way through the difficulty ramps up and finding all of the hidden items becomes quite a challenge. On top of this, a clever and unique “bubble-managing” mechanic immerses you in this very unique game, and the accompanying hypnotic melodies inspired by the spiritual worlds of several different cultures (which also define the artfully created landscapes) create a soothing atmosphere that encourages relaxed gameplay.

It’s a shame that this title is somewhat difficult to find (though apparently still available through publisher Eidos), but if you like puzzles, especially maze-based ones, which relax as much as they challenge, you will agree that the search for a copy of Soul Bubbles is well worth it.

The game also has a fine sense of itself, as seen here in its Startup Screen…