Archer Maclean's Mercury

Archer Maclean's Mercury is a video game for the PlayStation Portable, released in April of 2005. In Mercury, you tilt a level in order to get a drop of mercury to its appointed destination, in a similar fashion to Marble Madness. Differences include newer obstacles and the ability for the mercury to morph, split and transform around the levels.

Gameplay

Mercury takes on similar gameplay to that of Marble Madness. The player guides a colored blob (called Mercury) around a floating stage. The objective of each level in the game is to guide the Mercury around the level, activating beacons using switches. The nature of a liquid is also utilized in Mercury: the blob can split up, change color, or change shape.

Many hazards also exist in each level of Mercury, meant to reduce the player's amount of liquid. In some levels, for example, there are no walls; if the blob of Mercury gets to close to the edge of the stage, parts of it may drop off the level, detracting from the Mercury count. The blob can also be split into two separate parts by a variety of means; the two blobs may then be moved around (and rejoined if they touch). The primary method of splitting a blob is by using a splitter, a triangle-shaped object. Pushing the Mercury against a splitter will split it into two pieces.

Color plays a large role in Mercury. In most levels, the blob starts out as a silver color. However, by moving under Paint Shops, the color of the Mercury can be changed. Some doors (called filters) only allow matching-colored Mercury to pass through; some switches are also color-coded. If the Mercury is split up, the two blobs can be colored differently; if the two then merge together, they form a new color (for example, a red blob and a yellow blob would merge to form an orange on).

Worlds

There are seven worlds in the game:

Neon
Quartz
Xero
Aqua

Helios
Nano
Orbit

Each world is split into twelve levels. Of the twelve levels, there are three Race levels, three Percentage levels, and three Task levels. There are also two Combo levels, and a final boss level.

At the start of the game, a tutorial world is played (Neon), which teaches the player about the various aspects of the game. After the Neon world's twelve levels are beaten, the Quartz world is unlocked. Subsequent worlds are unlocked in a linear fashion.

Level types

Each level has a time limit (in seconds), Mercury limit (as a percentage), and a beacon count. To clear a level, all beacons on the level must be activated within that level's time limit. Beacons are usually activated by switches or pads, and light up when activated. Each level also has a Mercury limit, which determines how much Mercury must make it through the level. If the amount of Mercury on the level drops below the limit, the level must be restarted.

The level types are:

Race: In race levels, the Mercury limit is very low, as well as the time limit. The objective is to simply reach the finish pad, without losing all Mercury. Time is the most important thing in race levels. Also, there is only one beacon, which is activated by reaching the finish pad.

Percentage: Percentage levels emphasize preserving Mercury over quick completion (although the levels still have a time limit). Percentage levels may have more hazards than others, requiring the player to be careful in guiding the Mercury around, to keep it above the limit (which is usually 60% or above).

Task: Task levels will have between 1 and 6 beacons that must be activated to clear the level. Besides that, they have no other unique qualities.

Combo: Combo levels combine the qualities of Race, Percentage, and Task levels. There are two in each world played before the boss.

Boss: Boss levels are the last levels in each world in Mercury.

Mercury Meltdown

A sequel was recently announced. It will have more modes, twice as much levels and have cel-shaded graphics. It is expected to be released in August (USA).

See: Mercury Meltdown

References

Styles, Helly Ann et al, game manual, Archer Maclean's Mecury (2005)

External links

Mercury website from Ignition Entertainment

2005 computer and video games | PlayStation Portable games | Puzzle computer and video games