With my long “weekend” ahead of me, I decided to check out a few arcade games, when I came across Ilomilo in the highest rated section. I remembered seeing a positive review for it on XPlay (5/5), so I downloaded the trial to see if I would enjoy it.
Ilomilo is a sugary-sweet puzzle game where you control two separate characters, Ilo & Milo. Each level requires you to navigate through increasingly difficult block-puzzle terrains to bring these two friends together. The landscape can be a bit disorienting, as you sometimes twist the world around to bridge the next gap. You must control the characters separately to work together to overcome the obstacles in your path. Also to aid you are different types of Cubes, which can solve different problems. In the trial I encountered Cubes to bridge a single block gap, extend up or across a larger space, & create trapdoors.
Multiplayer is at the heart of the game. Although everything works fine in single player, the game is best suited to having two players working together to solve the puzzle. One player can only be active at a time, but the inactive player can use a cursor to highlight where the player should go next.
Everything in the world has a plush fabric look to it, even our two heroes. The world is bright & colorful. Everything about the game, from the visuals to the sound, even the sound of Ilo & Milo’s footsteps, is saturated in cuteness. I challenge anyone not to go, “Aww!” or smile when you watch Ilo & Milo dance to cute music when the meet.
Why this game isn’t for me: Although I enjoyed the trial version, it wasn’t enough to make me buy the game.  For starters, I’m not big into puzzle/maze games. I do feel a sense of accomplishment when I solve puzzles in the course of other games, & I enjoy using my brain, but I don’t particularly like when that’s the only point in the game. Also, I don’t really have anyone to play it with, which I think diminishes from the enjoyment. Overall, I liked what little I played, but not enough to pay for the full game.
Who this game is for: Obviously, if you like puzzle games you’ll probably enjoy this. Just make sure you have the patience to get through. The difficulty was already starting to ramp up towards the end of the trial.  This would also be a good game for someone looking for something family friendly. So guys, if you’re trying to convince your girlfriend that not all video games are disproportionate women in physically impossible outfits & ragdoll engines drowning in blood, invite her to play this.
GamerDame 