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Tumble Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Tumble Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Gravity is for losers

The PlayStation Move hardware has been at a loss for good software since its launch. Sports Champions has been one of the only bright spots in a pile of rushed games and tech demos like Start the Party and Kung Fu Rider. Tumble is still pretty much a tech demo, but it’s also a game that couldn’t be possible without the PlayStation Move controller. That aspect alone will make this game a worthy purchase for a lot of gamers out there looking to experiment with the new technology.

Tumble screenshot

It’s also a very capable game though. There’s not a lot to it, but the core mechanic of stacking objects and fighting against gravity is good fun. That’s hardly surprising. We’ve been playing excellent games based on gravity for decades (think Jenga.) There’s a pulse-pounding tension that comes from watching an unstable tower sway back and forth, and it almost always leads to laughs and high-fives immediately after it tumbles.

The real question going into Tumble was whether or not the fun that Jenga produces in a group could be translated to a single-player experience. The answer is: well, sort of. It’s a fun game, but I couldn’t help but feel that some of its game modes would have been more fun if they were actually board games. The Move controller certainly helps, but even with 1:1 motion ratios there’s nothing that can simulate having the piece in your hand. That leads to some inaccuracy, and a feeling of detachment when you’re putting down the piece.

To their credit though, Supermassive Games has done an admirable job of translating that kind of control to the Move hardware. There are a number of intelligent systems in play that help the player stay in control at all times. Having a player control an object in a 3D space using a different object in a differently-scaled 3D space is exceedingly difficult, but they’ve pulled it off very well.

Tumble screenshot

For instance, at any time you can push a button and bring the on-screen cursor into the middle of the screen. It’s like a reset for your cursor. You’re essentially recalibrating the system whenever you please. This is in stark contrast to many games that will calibrate once, and then you’re stuck with it for a while. Even if you want to change positions.

Plus, you can shift the position of the object while you’re holding it. It just takes a single flick of the wrist (up, down, left, right) and the object slides 90 degrees in your grip. It’s a good solution to a simple problem that nonetheless could have crippled this game if not properly addressed.

Tumble screenshot

The majority of Tumble is about stacking objects. I know, that sounds incredibly boring, but as was stated earlier, Jenga has been around for ages, which is based on the same idea. These levels give you a set of objects. It’s your job to stack them as high as you can, as fast as you can. The inclusion of the time limit (if you beat it you get an extra star) adds a lot of tension to what otherwise would have been a boring, simplistic formula.

There’s also a mode that should be extremely cathartic to Jenga enthusiasts everywhere. It’s almost like Boom Blox, the 2008 Wii game from Steven Spielberg. There’s a giant tower, and you’re given a set of explosives to plant on the tower. Then you detonate them and try to splash bits of the tower as far as you can (earning points the further you can send them.) It’s not just another game mode though. By including the exact opposite of what players are struggling with (exploding the blocks rather than trying to control them), the developer has built-in systems for stress relief.

Tumble screenshot

These exploding block games are more than just mental relief though. They’re also some of the most fun levels in the game. During my play through, I was sad to see those levels end so quickly. The game could have used a few more of them. I ended up playing them all 10-15 times just to see if I could top my own high score. That’s an achievement that very few games ever accomplish.

The major detractor for Tumble is that its presentation is rather lacking. Everything has a very sleek, stylish, clandestine surface, but it’s also incredibly boring. One could say that it’s got a futuristic, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ feel to it, but the truth of the matter is that’s just what an in-game object looks like without any texturing. Overall it gives the game a sterile feel that enhances the sensation that this was originally built as a tech demo for PS Move hardware.

The same cannot be said about Tumble’s audio though. It features a calming narrator with an English accent to competently guide you through the levels and explain challenges. This narrator never gets annoying, rarely repeats herself, and never sounds like she’s reading from a script. She sounds more like a spaceship A.I. construct than a narrator. Tumble also follows in the footsteps of many of its predecessors in the puzzle genre by implementing a techno soundtrack mixed with ambient beats to keep you on the edge of your seat. The music is effective and keeps the game upbeat, which is no small feat considering this is a game about stacking blocks.

The kind of person most interested in Tumble is a puzzle game fan looking for something to do with their Move controller when Start the Party got boring after ten minutes. But you don’t need to fit both descriptions. For just $10, I’d urge someone from either camp to at least give the game a try. Puzzle games aren’t always the biggest draw on a system known for God of War action and Final Fantasy stories, but if you give it a chance Tumble might just surprise you.

Tumble could have been a colossal failure. All of the elements seemed to add up to a horribly boring game, and to top it off a lesser developer might have stumbled on the controls as well. Yet rather than a boring game with frustrating controls, Tumble turned out to be a nice little surprise in a PlayStation Move launch line-up that desperately needed a nice surprise.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.5 Graphics
The look is sleek, but extremely barren. Blank walls make it feel like a tech demo. 4.3 Control
Controls are well implemented. It’s easy to shift blocks and gently set them down with accuracy. 4.3 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Techno music pervades much of the game and the British narrator does a good job of keeping you in the loop. 4.0 Play Value
There’s a good amount of gameplay involved, and it’s a great showcase for the PlayStation Move controller. It’s a good value for the dollar. 4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Nearly 1:1 movement ratio helps you gently place blocks in the perfect spots.
  • Blow up giant towers in the games destruction mode.
  • A variety of challenges on each level ensures you’ll accomplish something each time you play.

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