Totemo review

Damien McFerran

We review Totemo for Android - a puzzle game that exercises your brain

Published on Apr 27, 2010

European developer Hexage has gaining a solid reputation with its recent duo of Android and iPhone-based games.

2D shooter Radiant manages to distil 30 years of gaming history in one title and the delightful Buka is one of the most addictive and original mobile titles we’re played in an age.

Now the talented studio has turned its attention to the logic puzzle genre with the atmospheric Totemo.

The objective of the game is to match up all of the spirit orbs in either pairs or trios.

Tapping a spirit will cause its eyes to glow, as well as light up the first section of the scared totem pole, which resides on the left-hand side of the screen.

The sprit must then be bonded with another to complete the totem and release it into the afterlife - you can tell when a bond is possible because potential spirits will stare directly at the player.

To begin with you can link in pairs but after the tutorial levels are completed you’ll need to group together three orbs to successfully remove them from the playing area.

Totemo rewards patient players; rushing in is simply not an option. It’s only possible to link in horizontal or vertical lines and incorrectly linking groups will cause you to hit a dead end; when this occurs you have no option but to restart the stage.

Taking this into account you need to carefully consider which orbs you match up and this requires intense concentration and an excellent grasp of logic.

Many gamers will find this to be an incredibly relaxing experience but those of you who crave instant results are likely to be disappointed.

Some of the more difficult puzzles call for almost superhuman levels of focus, but the payoff for completing them is sense of true achievement.

Some of the stages appear almost impossible but once you discover you’re on the right track the solution seems almost insulting obvious.

Totemo’s gameplay is wrapped up in some amazing presentation, which is to be expected from Hexage. The cartoon-like visuals are colourful and distinctive, with cute characters and highly atmospheric backgrounds.

On one level you can see lightning strikes in the distance which cause the gloomy clouds to illuminate briefly; it’s clear that a lot of attention has be paid to making Totemo look as lush as possible.

The music is similarly striking, with highly atmospheric tracks playing as you attempt to crack each challenge.

In fact we’d go as far as to say this is some of the best music we’ve heard in an Android game.

With a taxing story mode, high-score focused Survivor option (where you’re trying to complete each puzzle against the clock) and the chance to post your progress to Facebook, Totemo is highly polished puzzle experience which aims to exercise your brain instead of your trigger-finger.

Thrill-seekers with short attention spans need not apply, but if you seek a game which can stimulate the old grey matter on those long bus journeys then this is highly recommended.