The latest puzzler from Eidos Interactive, PRISM: Light the Way, presents some unique gameplay elements that should appeal to many causal gamers out there. Instead of falling blocks, PRISM uses light as a means of solving puzzles, with mirrors and prisms required to guide light to little creatures named “globos.” The storyline is pretty cheesy and the presentation is ho-hum, but the gameplay works in short bursts, which is what the casual audience that this game is geared to will appreciate.

The storyline is cutesy fare, with you trying to save a race of rain cloud-shaped alien creatures called globos by shining light that emanates from little green fellows that look like slimes from Dragon Quest. The story doesn’t really make one lick of sense, but since this is a puzzle game, that’s hardly the point.

As mentioned earlier, the point behind PRISM: Light the Way is to get light from your green characters to the globos. Unfortunately, since you cannot rotate any creature or item at all, you’ll have to get creative with how you shine light. The game gives you three different items on the playing field; a single-color prism, a multi-color prism, and mirrors.

Mirrors will bounce light at a 90-degree angle, while single-color prisms will change the color of the light to suit a certain color of globo. Multi-color prisms will serve both purposes at times, not only changing the color of the light, but bouncing the colored lighting in a cross shape. If one or more of these objects are on the field once you begin a certain puzzle, then you’ll most definitely have to use them.

The puzzles start out a little slowly, allowing inexperienced players to get a grip on the gameplay mechanics. However, once you get into the later stages these puzzles will get gradually more complex and difficult, often requiring you to use several items and bounce light from several different green creatures in order to light up each and every globo.

Fortunately, the game has a pretty liberal hint system in case you get stumped on any puzzle. By tapping on the hint icon on the touchscreen, the game will reveal the location that one piece of your puzzle needs to be on the map. This nudges the player along in the right direction nicely, but doesn’t give the whole thing away. Of course, should one hint not be enough, then you are able to keep pressing the hint button until it has told you where every piece needs to be.

The game is split up into four different modes, with a puzzle mode, time mode, hyper mode and infinite mode, each nothing that puzzle fans have not played before in another capacity in a different puzzle game. The gameplay is pretty simplistic, but becomes quite challenging as the puzzles wear on. However, given the simplistic nature of the puzzles, this isn’t the type of puzzle game that will draw you in for a marathon session.

Presentation-wise, the game is very barebones. The graphics are 2D and nothing that couldn’t have been done on the GBA. The sprites are very cutesy, and the game maps all look the same. The sound isn’t much of a step up, since the music is the same brand of cutesy fare with minimal sound effects.

PRISM: Light the Way is light on looks and pretty simplistic, but the ease-of-play makes it a good title for casual gamers to grasp. Check it out if you’re a casual puzzle game fan looking for something unique.

Gameplay: 7.0
The gameplay is pretty simple, and thusly quite easy to grasp for casual puzzle fans. The innovative light based gameplay offers something new to the genre.

Graphics: 5.0
Not really much to look at here, just cutesy GBA-quality graphics.

Sound: 5.0
A typical cutesy score that fits the game’s theme, but likely one that you’ll mute out.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
While the gameplay is obviously geared towards brief, casual gameplay sessions, it offers some new elements not usually offered in the puzzle genre.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The single cart co-op mode is an interesting touch, requiring you to beam light to your friend’s touch screen and vice versa.

Overall: 7.0
PRISM: Light the Way is a casual puzzler with some fun elements and easy-to-grasp play, although the game is best played in short bursts in order to break up the monotony.