Archer Maclean's Mercury PSP
Archer Maclean's Mercury Image
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.8 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Using the PSP's powerful graphics, processing abilities and Wi-Fi modes, Awesome Studios has produced a brand new genre-defining puzzle game, the aim of which is simple: Guide your various, colored mercury blobs around each 3D maze simply by "tilting" the level. Watch as the liquid metal blobs ebb and flow around the countless challenges encountered along the way. After a short spell in the training camp world, experience a smooth learning curve as you work your way through each level from start to finish, eventually unlocking the next world beyond. Negotiate obstacles and hazards, solve puzzles, and compete against ever- tightening time and percentage limits while avoiding traps and predators. Finally, defeat end of level boss modes to complete each world. The game has instant pick-up-and-play appeal with no instructions needed, and you can spend minutes or hours immersed in the game. Skill, timing, and dexterity are all required to navigate the 72 levels that spread across 6 unique, thematic worlds. [Ignition]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Console Gameworld
    87
    A must have for two audiences: those who have been looking for a game that lets you play around with a virtual version of an illegal substance, and those who enjoy a great puzzle game that takes a lot of skill to master.
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    86
    An excellent puzzle game with a realistically behaving mercury blob. The camera causes some problems occasionally, but nothing major. [Apr 2006]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. TotalPlayStation
    85
    Some, even those in our office, have passed the game off as a weak puzzler in light of some of the more impressive stuff like Lumines, but I'll be damned if it isn't something different and perfectly suited for a high-powered portable medium. Go buy it.
  4. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    71
    If this Mercury was put into a thermometer, it would be floating just above “lukewarm”.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 4 out of 11
  1. MikS.
    10
    This game adds something to the PSP launch line-up: Originality!!! It has the dexterity tests of Super Monkey Ball, but with more taxing puzzles and a greater variety of goodies on the mazes. If you complain that a puzzle game is frustrating, then don't buy puzzle games. This gets the mix just right - BUY IT!… Collapse
  2. Assimov
    8
    Good game for persons who like fight the chrono and against previous times.
  3. WeirdN.
    7
    Wow! An original and mature puzzle game for Sony's shiny new trinket! I think that puzzle games of this type fit handheld gaming really well. The levels in this game are well judged, always taxing but beatable. Many of them make you think 'No Way!' until you crack them after a few practice runs. It makes a nice break from the reaction puzzles of Lumines. A couple of blemishes on this game are a lack of auto save (why? surely that takes about 15 miuntes to code and is a feature in every title since whenever!) and long load times meaning that it isn't as pick up and play as it could be. You may find yourself relying on the suspend feature a lot. Also, to get the unlocks is simply impossible. To get all the high scores needs reference to an online guide or a sociopathic addiction to this kind of game. They're uber-hard. If you enjoy original puzzle games you won't be dissapointed with this. Maybe a sequel will iron out the rough spots and give us another great game?! More games of this quality and originality on PSP please!… Expand
  4. Lokistrike
    3
    This game was mind-numbingly frustrating. THe in-game tutorial was functional enough, but the controls seem far too sensitive for the level of puzzle, and falling off the edges of a board far too likely no matter how good I (thought I) was doing.… Expand

See all 11 User Reviews

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