At first glance, one could easily expect a completely different gameplay experience from Roogoo than what is actually delivered. The cutesy characters and pastel-colored vibe cause the game to have an adventurous feel to it. If a developer other than Spidermonk was to take this concept and make it their own, I’d be willing to bet that a puzzler would not be the final product. In fact, this puzzle game could be cloaked in any form of visual style and still be basically the same game that it is today… fun, mildly innovative, and worth every penny.

The visual style is very reminiscent of those marshmallowy shapes found in every box of Lucky Charms cereal. This initial cute flare can definitely draw some people in, but can easily be misleading at the same time. The characters that model as the face of Roogoo play a very small role in the actual game, with a basic storyline to explain their purpose. Basically, the player is out to help the good guys, called Roogoos, while an enemy force attempts to snatch away your hopes and dreams. These little bad guys are called Meemoos intend to foil you once and for all.

The concept revolves around a number of shapes that fall from the sky that play as meteors in the storyline. Your goal is to guide these “meteors” through holes in multiple platforms in order to collect them for the Roogoo race. As you falter and knock shapes away by missing their intended slots, King Goo (king of the meemoos) slowly gains ground on a vine next to the platforms. If he reaches the top where the shapes are originating from, he will steal the shapes and end your game. The player’s ultimate intention is to stack the shapes, aid them through the slots, and obtain the required amount of meteors needed to fall through the final hole on that level.

Although the storyline seems involved, it isn’t, and you’ll find yourself quickly forgetting all about the poor little Roogoos and their desire for meteors. Before long, your thirst for victory over the puzzles at hand will blind you of any story at all. That’s Ok though, because Roogoo’s true draw lies in the gameplay.

As you continue playing the game, levels will begin to change in different ways. Some levels might speed up the shapes and force you to act faster. Other levels will fire shapes out at you in rapid, 5 sequence succession. There are even certain levels containing slot covers that open and close consistently. The player must discover the rhythm and speed the shapes through the open hole at the most opportune time by pressing “A”.

All of the changes truly affected the gameplay in a positive manner and changed the style slightly enough to keep me playing, but only two new features had me utterly frustrated. During some stages, a platform might have flowers sprouting from its grass. These flowers attract butterflies and these butterflies like to swoop in, grab your neatly stacked shapes, and lift them back up through the holes again. This forces you to actually play the game backwards for a few seconds. Luckily the controls only consist of pushing the bumpers, so you can recover quickly if you get confused.

The other feature that excited me at times and forced me into a rage at other times was the bonus round that follows occasionally at the end of certain levels. The player views the bottom platform as a series of shapes fall in quick succession downward. You must react quickly in order to feed all of the shapes through their holes as they fall. This sounds easy, but when too many shapes are on the screen, it can become difficult to tell which shape is falling where. More than once during the bonus rounds, I found myself just sitting there, watching as my shapes deflected off the wrong slots. I just wanted it to be over.

With 45 stages to progress through and a number of different atmospheric visual styles that occur during the game, the graphics really don’t get boring or mundane too often. Most of the time you will be focusing solely on the shapes anyway, unable to look away for fear of making a wrong move. Roogoo truly does require skill and attention in order to master its constantly changing gameplay aspects, and although these aspects are minor, they can affect the gameplay on a major level. Because of these constant changes and the frantic pace, Roogoo is a puzzler that is worth every Microsoft point it requires.

Gameplay: 9.0
Roogoo manages to throw a frantic pace into a simple, cute package. At times, I would put the controller down and simply walk away out of frustration. Yet, when I finally beat that level that I was jammed on, the feeling would be nearly indescribable.

Graphics: 6.0
Roogoo is cute from the start, and every time I think of ways to describe the game’s graphic style, that seems to be the only word that comes to mind.

Sound: 6.0
For some reason, I can’t recall the audio portions that were involved in Roogoo, except for the occasional odd noise made by the Roogoos when I would fail them.

Difficulty: Hard
Although Roogoo’s initial few levels are fairly simple to get through, the game contains many elements that make it very difficult to master. A counter in the top left corner counts down on each level and indicates how long you have before you lost a time bonus. The latter stages are terribly aggravating at times.  

Concept: 8.0
With all of the changes that affect gameplay from stage to stage, Roogoo never really seems to get repetitive. The changes keep you on your toes constantly.

Multiplayer: 6.0
Although playing online with a friend can be great amounts of fun, the fun will only last for one stage at a time. After each level is completed, you are forced back to the menu screen and must re-invite your friend if you want to play another round. This flaw is unnecessary.  

Overall: 8.0
Roogoo is great for a wide range of people. The cuteness can draw in any female onlooker, the puzzle aspects will ping on any competitive person’s heartstrings, and the difficulty will force anyone looking for a challenge to bite.