Joystiq E3 hands-on: PixelJunk Eden
PixelJunk Eden is a simple concept boosted by its visuals, sound and co-op gameplay. Much like PixelJunk Monsters, Eden's simplicity in design hides a surprising amount of depth and Q-Games' PixelJunk brand now adds one more feather to its cap, presenting another piece of stand-out quality on the PlayStation Network.
We actually played Eden with the game's producer, Deb Mars, who, despite having shown off the game for the umpteenth million time, either has the patience of Solomon Job, or actually, genuinely, enjoys introducing people to Eden. As she went through the basic gameplay, it was easy to understand and gave a good sense that, much like PixelJunk Monsters, Eden really shines when it's played with a friend.
%Gallery-26872%
From the videos we'd seen, the game certainly is beautiful and has its own art style, but we had no idea what was going on. So, here's the deal: Players control a high-jumping creature called a Grimp, which can stick to surfaces and shoot out a tether (similar to the ninja rope from Worms). The object of the game is to collect spectra scattered around the 10 levels in the game. Once a level is completed, a new plant will grow in your garden, allowing access to the next stage. Your garden is actually the main menu screen so you'll automatically get a visual representation of your progress every time you start the game.
The way to get to the Spectra is by busting open sacks of pollen, swinging around radially using the tether to collect as much pollen as possible, which will collect in a nearby seed. When a seed is full, it's just a matter of jumping in the seed and a plant will grow. Hopefully this will get the player closer to collecting the spectra on the level.
Locating spectra is as simple as using the tether to swing around in a circle. The trail left by the circular motion will ping like a radar showing the direction of the closest spectra, but players can't just keep swinging around forever as the tether will break and the player falls. Grimps can also stick to each other, so if a player is falling, with quick reflexes another person can shoot out on the tether and rescue them.
Falling doesn't kill in Eden. In a single player game the camera just follows the player's Grimp as it drops down, while in multiplayer if one of the teammates falls, their Grimp will respawn right next to the player still on the screen. Players will fail a level by running out of time, but there are plenty of items on a level to extend the time limit, represented by bars in the bottom left of the screen.
The controls are quite intuitive and after about five minutes the controls and physics of the game become clear. Left analong controls direction, double tapping X is jump, just X will jump and stick a tether to a spot for swinging and R2 reels in the Grimp on the tether, giving a little more time before the rope breaks. The tether doesn't just stop working, if you know you can't make a jump on the pass you believe the rope will break, just reel in and try again. Also, a quick jolt of the controller will cause the Grimp to just go straight down for more precise jumps. It's the only time players aren't at the mercy of the game's physics.
Eden really works when players are just enjoying the atmosphere of the game and the company it's being played with. The game shines in co-op and doesn't punish players heavily for failing. If the other person you're playing with falls off the screen, they'll just respawn right next to you. Eden is low on stress and high on just having a enjoyable time.
PixelJunk Eden will release July 31 on the PlayStation Store and we've been told it is expected to cost about $10 for the full game. The soundtrack will be released at a later time. We personally can't wait to play this game again.
