POSTED 6/3/11


ILOMILO

SouthEnd Interactive
Xbox 360/XBLA

Yazz, and likely the entire Plastic Population as well, would hate IloMilo. Why? Well, up isn’t the only way...

A smoothly unfolding puzzlegasm, IloMilo – a conjunction of the two main characters’ names, making them titular - is the tale of these titular characters that get together each day for tea and bickies. Titularly. Sadly, however, they have trouble finding each other, as cosmic forces are fucking with their heads (which they don’t have – they’re little blobby body-only things) by remixing their world. At least their chum Sebastian’s around to help sometimes – a foppish hat-worshipping fellow who, should a live action IloMilo ever be produced, could only be played by Stephen Fry.

Ilo and Milo’s beautiful world consists of cubic constructions which hang in the air in much the same way that bricks don’t*. Kinda Echochrome given a LittleBigPlanet makeover. You don’t pootle about on a single plane however, for mini red carpets and other doobries let you switch to other sides of the blockular creations – which is often totally necessary both for the main aim, which is getting Ilo and Milo together, and for secondary stuff collecting objects ranging from little dudes that unlock bonus levels, to rekkids (‘teh vinylz’, kids) and fragments of mysterious love letters from peeps named Ilona and Milton. Hmm, those names sound a tad familiar...

Puzzles start simply and difficulty amps smoothly as blocky manipulation’s introduced, then growly blocks that need distracting, ones that fliddit you through them and more. Stick at it and you’ll face puzzles that’ll take yonks to nut out, whilst you’ll knock others over quickly.

It’s all delightfully off-kilter, its originating in Sweden’s Malmo – The Cardigans country - perhaps explaining why. Deftly combining classic puzzler elements with original thinking, it’s marvellous what a difference IloMilo makes…

* A line we SO wish we could take credit for but, of course, it belongs to the much-missed Douglas Adams – may he rest peacefully and towel-accoutred.

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