Auditorium HD (PlayStation 3) Review

True to the origins of the majority of Flash games, Auditorium HD puts players straight into the action, with no tutorials and instructions as to what the goal really is, save for a display of what the controls are. Such is the simplistic nature of the title, however, that tutorials are unnecessary, allowing players to immediately see how the concept works and what effects they have after a few shifts of the control stick. Auditorium HD is a very creative idea; streams of light particles continuously flow in a particular direction in each stage, and the player must use various pre-determined tools to direct these particles into audio containers, filling them up and allowing the music contained within to play. Each tool is in the shape of a circle, with a symbol indicating what it does. For example, tools with arrows guide the particles in the direction indicated, and tools with a rabbit symbol speed up the flow of particles, pushing them further. The tools can be moved freely around the stage and increased or decreased in size, letting the player experiment on how best to direct the streams of light into the containers.

With each progressing level, puzzles become tougher, and more tools and objects are introduced. Multiple containers with varying colours must be filled by manipulating tools that change the particles into these different colours, and objects such as coloured walls that bounce particles away, and even portals that transport particles across the level, must all be put to use to complete the challenges at hand. Far from easy, the vast majority of stages will really put players' brains to use, but also bring out their experimental side. With the option to choose from a specific number of levels until further ones become unlocked, and no time limits to pile on the pressure, Auditorium HD is a very relaxed type of puzzle game that lets players spend as long as necessary to figure each task out. By messing around and simply seeing what effects each tool has on the streams of light, much of the time it is a case of trial and error before the realisation of the solution comes into play.

There are always multiple solutions to each scenario, and it comes off as a great achievement once each is figured out. However, the tendency to rely on repeatedly sweeping the particles across the stage quickly by moving certain tools around to fill up specific audio containers does often creep into play, particularly when it becomes increasingly difficult to find a solution. It feels cheap, so it's not something that should be resorted to without some serious attempts at finding the answers using the proper methods of creating perfect paths for the light particles to travel along. More often than not, though, it is easier, and much more satisfying, to resolve each challenge the way the game intends, and of course, not every level allows for this trick to work.

In the transition to PlayStation 3, Auditorium HD has received a wealthy number of all-new puzzles, meaning there is plenty to keep puzzle fans going for a good while, as well as brand new music; the latter of which should be commended highly. Excelling in the musical department, it is a delight to hear some of the symphonies played out as the audio containers fill up, and indeed to listen to the full track once the stage is complete. These melodies encompass a range of different instruments, and evoke various themes - some have an eerie, haunting sound about them, whereas others are jollier. Due to the nature of the game, it is just a shame that the tracks are a bit short and have to come to an end once the next level starts - but that speaks highly of the audio of Auditorium HD. Of equal importance is the visual aspect, where colours of light really make for a very attractive and pretty-looking game; the music and 1080p graphics complementing each other very well.