I really enjoyed the original Mercury and my only complaint was that it was too short at just around 70 levels, even after replaying to attempt perfect runs/high scores. It definitely had potential for a sequel so I was very pleased to hear when Mercury Meltdown was announced.
This time the game looks a lot different presumably in an attempt to make it more distinctive. I think the presentation is great, and the new style suits the level design, but I would've preferred the mercury itself to remain as it was previously as it doesn't look as good with a big black outline, which could possibly also make it harder to judge edges on more difficult runs.
The tutorial introduces a range of new features to the game, such as heating and cooling the mercury, making it into a solid sphere, or using it to guide blocks around the level in order to activate switches. I've not yet met most of them in the first lab, but it seems that later levels could become quite interesting.
The game is split into 8 laboratories with 16 normal stages each plus bonus stages (the previews I read said 160 total so I would presume 4 bonus stages on each level, so far I've unlocked one on the first lab but I'm not exactly sure what for). The stage select screens are very nice - you choose by selecting a test tube, and once you've played a stage the test tube fills up/has labels added to show which achievements you have completed for that stage (ie. complete stage with 100% mercury/hi-score/collect all bonuses/complete within time limit).. it makes it very easy to see what stages you need to replay in order to perfect your stats and allow you to unlock new labs and levels, minigames and even skins.
The actual gameplay is pretty much the same as Mercury. At first I felt as if it seemed a bit more difficult to control the Mercury but by the end of the first lab I had gotten used to it. However I do think that it doesn't move as fluidly as the previous game and it seems easier to lose control. I thought the old control was perfect so I don't like the new feel with this one so much. The early levels so far have been a little more difficult than the easiest levels on Mercury so it seems as if the challenge could be increased. There is also now the added incentive of collecting bonus items in stages too, which are generally placed in more difficult positions to add more challenge to replaying.
A change they have made probably to accomodate for this (and the objective to complete stages without losing any mercury) is that when the timer runs out you can still continue the stage until you complete it. I guess this is useful for those who found the first game too hard in places. Also, you now unlock the new worlds/labs by accumulating the most % of mercury remaining on each stage - it gets added to a concentration meter to show you how close you are to the next lab, so if you get stuck on one particular level you can still progress by improving your % on the levels you have available rather than having you're progress halted by a single difficult stage like before (and you can attempt any of the 16 normal stages within a lab once it's unlocked).
For minigames, there are 5 to unlock depending on how many levels you've completed in the main game. I've only got the first so far, in which you must try and collect icons while a fan moves around the platform and makes it hard for you to control the mercury and move it accurately. If you get on the hi-score board then you unlock more difficult stages/platforms. It's ok but I hope some of the other minigames are more fun. I've also found a 'play' stage in the extras but I don't think it adds anything other than a chance to try out a lot of the level features at leisure.
Basically, if you liked Mercury at all then I think you'll like this as it is a much bigger challenge although you might have to get used to the new 'feel' of the control. So far I've only done the first lab (just trying to perfect it to see if there's any more unlockables) but I'm looking forward to seeing the more complex level designs and puzzles and how they use the new features they've included.
This time the game looks a lot different presumably in an attempt to make it more distinctive. I think the presentation is great, and the new style suits the level design, but I would've preferred the mercury itself to remain as it was previously as it doesn't look as good with a big black outline, which could possibly also make it harder to judge edges on more difficult runs.
The tutorial introduces a range of new features to the game, such as heating and cooling the mercury, making it into a solid sphere, or using it to guide blocks around the level in order to activate switches. I've not yet met most of them in the first lab, but it seems that later levels could become quite interesting.
The game is split into 8 laboratories with 16 normal stages each plus bonus stages (the previews I read said 160 total so I would presume 4 bonus stages on each level, so far I've unlocked one on the first lab but I'm not exactly sure what for). The stage select screens are very nice - you choose by selecting a test tube, and once you've played a stage the test tube fills up/has labels added to show which achievements you have completed for that stage (ie. complete stage with 100% mercury/hi-score/collect all bonuses/complete within time limit).. it makes it very easy to see what stages you need to replay in order to perfect your stats and allow you to unlock new labs and levels, minigames and even skins.
The actual gameplay is pretty much the same as Mercury. At first I felt as if it seemed a bit more difficult to control the Mercury but by the end of the first lab I had gotten used to it. However I do think that it doesn't move as fluidly as the previous game and it seems easier to lose control. I thought the old control was perfect so I don't like the new feel with this one so much. The early levels so far have been a little more difficult than the easiest levels on Mercury so it seems as if the challenge could be increased. There is also now the added incentive of collecting bonus items in stages too, which are generally placed in more difficult positions to add more challenge to replaying.
A change they have made probably to accomodate for this (and the objective to complete stages without losing any mercury) is that when the timer runs out you can still continue the stage until you complete it. I guess this is useful for those who found the first game too hard in places. Also, you now unlock the new worlds/labs by accumulating the most % of mercury remaining on each stage - it gets added to a concentration meter to show you how close you are to the next lab, so if you get stuck on one particular level you can still progress by improving your % on the levels you have available rather than having you're progress halted by a single difficult stage like before (and you can attempt any of the 16 normal stages within a lab once it's unlocked).
For minigames, there are 5 to unlock depending on how many levels you've completed in the main game. I've only got the first so far, in which you must try and collect icons while a fan moves around the platform and makes it hard for you to control the mercury and move it accurately. If you get on the hi-score board then you unlock more difficult stages/platforms. It's ok but I hope some of the other minigames are more fun. I've also found a 'play' stage in the extras but I don't think it adds anything other than a chance to try out a lot of the level features at leisure.
Basically, if you liked Mercury at all then I think you'll like this as it is a much bigger challenge although you might have to get used to the new 'feel' of the control. So far I've only done the first lab (just trying to perfect it to see if there's any more unlockables) but I'm looking forward to seeing the more complex level designs and puzzles and how they use the new features they've included.
. How much is it in the UK? If they release a lot of extra levels I might consider it as well.
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