Thanks to Fortyseven Communications on behalf of Hudson Entertainment I received a demo copy of Rooms for the Wii. I popped it in and gave it a shot. This is my preview:

Game Description:

In Rooms, players use various items and the guidance of their host, Mr. Book, to navigate a series of surreal mansions.  With the right combination of intellect, strategy and various objects, players must carefully shift pieces in the current room around, in a manner similar to slide puzzles, to keep moving forward.  Players are also rewarded with a bonus if the background is placed correctly.  With more than 100 rooms and a level editor to create even more, players will be enjoying their own unique puzzle adventure for ages to come.  

Rooms: the main building launches March 23 for the Wii and DS for $29.99.

Playing the Game:

Rooms took me a little bit to get into. I felt like the introduction was just a little bit too long. I had to keep hitting the A button to continue the conversation.

The Introduction:

There is a boy and he finds a gift. When he opens the gift it transports him to a new world and he runs into the book. The book is his guide and is going to help him reach the exit. The kid just wants to go back home but follows the instructions hoping to get done soon.

The Play:

The object is to get to the final room. It’s a puzzle game, you have to find a key to unlock rooms and then go from puzzle piece to puzzle piece until you can get to the exit. Each level adds a stage of difficulty and objects get in the way.

There are things to help you along the way but to continue to gain these you have to defeat more levels. With each level you get to a new room and closer to the exit. Just remember, if you enter a room with water in it you will drown. I died very quickly because I wasn’t thinking and entered a room full of water.

There will be more options for play but they are locked down until later in March.

My Thoughts:

As I stated above, I didn’t like the feel of the introduction and almost put the game down. I’m happy that I didn’t though because I love puzzle games. I’m addicted to puzzle games. You know, I would be playing puzzle games all day long if only I didn’t have children or a life. My other thoughts are that this would be better on the DS, and it is available on the DS in addition to the Wii. I would prefer the closer screen and smaller play area for this game. I would also be interested in testing out the level editor. That sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Features

•    Designed for Nintendo: Point and Click Controls that are perfect for the Nintendo Wii Remote™ and the Nintendo DS Stylus™.
•    Play inside of intuitive and amusing rooms as you use objects and your wits to escape from it.
•    Over 100+ rooms to go through as you make your way through the buildings of this mystifying world.
•    Includes a Level Editor to create your own levels!

Platform Specific Features:

Wii

Two player competition.  Square off against another player: Items in rooms are placed so that you are racing against the opponent as they try to exit the room first. Players cannot enter the opponent’s area but the exit for both players is the same

DS

Create AND share your levels: You have all the objects necessary to build your level from the beginning. Brag about the quality of the levels you’ve created by sharing them with your friends!