You'll Be In Paradise With PixelJunk Eden!

Got ten bucks lying around? Own a PS3? Looking for a great game to occupy your time? Then we have just the thing for you: read on for our review of PixelJunk Eden, a fantastic game available only on the Playstation Network!

Three players can cooperatively enjoy the flowery fruits of Eden.

Three players can cooperatively enjoy the flowery fruits of Eden.

Available for a mere ten bucks on the PlayStation Network, Pixel Junk Eden is a welcome addition to the PS3's growing library of exclusive downloadable games. It's as easy to pick up and play as the original Mario, but offers enough depth and strategy for the high-score junkies to appreciate. What's most unfortunate, however, is that the game's initial charm, which so easily captivated me, dies off rather quickly.

That's too bad because Eden is a completely original and creative title that had a lot of potential. You play as a tiny elephant-spider with the ability to spin a silk line that you can use to latch onto flower petals. With your spider-like powers, you must defeat Pollen Prowler enemies who explode into pollen that pollinates nearby flower seeds; the flower seeds then grow into beanstalks which gives you access to the upper reaches of the levels where "Spectra" orbs can be reached. There are five Spectra orbs per level, or "Gardens" as they're called in the game, and you have to collect them in order to proceed.

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It's an interesting concept and it was fun in the beginning, but after playing for a while, I found myself growing bored with the simplistic, repetitive gameplay. It doesn't help that each Spectra orb has to be collected one at a time either. This means you are forced to revisit each garden five times in order to get a 100% completion ranking. In addition, climbing the beanstalks of Eden is not as easy as it sounds, especially in the later levels.

Still, PixelJunk Eden is a beautiful and mesmerizing title that warrants a look. It can't top the cream of the current crop of downloadable PSN games like Super Stardust HD, PixelJunk Monsters, and Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection Online, but it certainly holds its weight if you're looking to kill a few hours on a lazy Sunday.

PROS: Stylish visuals, addicting high-score gameplay, 3-player cooperative mode
CONS: Repetitive gameplay, later levels are extremely challenging, frustrating falters

Silk can be spun from Eden's flowers, but not hard, rocky surfaces.

Silk can be spun from Eden's flowers, but not hard, rocky surfaces.

Every Garden is artistically different, ranging from swirling vines that wrap around each other to blocky cityscapes as seen in this screenshot.

Every Garden is artistically different, ranging from swirling vines that wrap around each other to blocky cityscapes as seen in this screenshot.

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