I snatched this up today, and it kind of soothed the burn of the Mass Effect 3 ending. It's so great, because it's one of those games where every part of it is so well-made and polished that it doesn't feel like a game. I found myself solving puzzles and platforming without really focusing on having to do it. One of the best things about it is that there is are no tutorials and no talking. Everything that tells you where to go is done through visuals and the world. Get onto a good vantage point, scan for things that you can interact with, and just go for it. It's a nice change from having games that can't go ten seconds without someone talking or pulling you by the nose. I'm trying not to gush like everyone else is, but know that it's really difficult to not talk about how much I really love it so far.

Another neat thing is the multiplayer. I had heard about it and figured it as a gimmick just so it can say it has online play. What I didn't hear about was the fact that there is no way of talking to or messaging your partner. The game just sees that you're alone, and tosses someone else into the mix. I started off really early with a partner who was kind of fun. They would always stick close to me, occasionally separating so we could point the other to puzzle piece or upgrade. The only way you can communicate is by your basic movements, and a little button that lets out a "speech" burst (which also acts as a sort of "use" button). One neat thing that came out of this is that whenever I would see a health upgrade, I'd tap the button quickly three times so my partner could see it too. After a while, I'd find that he took my system, and copied it whenever he found something interesting. In a weird way, we used the game to make a little language, sort of like a more whimsical version of teabagging in Halo.

I really recommend that anyone with a PS3 picks it up. I've never really played anything like it, so I don't know how to recommend it to someone, but I think that may be the best compliment I can give it.

Maybe not "intense emotional impact" or something like that, but the music and mood are perfectly set, and I remembered being really disappointed when the first person I partnered with quit the game. We went from the beginning all the way to the snow levels, and it was cool doing things like communicating with movements and the rune button, and goofing around in the sandsliding parts. It was just cool making a friend within the confines of the game, and is more memorable than shooting my nine hundredth Russian in other online games.