After visiting two different companies working on dedicated Android game controllers at E3 2012, I decided it was high time I gave Android games more attention, particularly the titles running on the most powerful Android processor going, Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3. Games like Neko Entertainment's Puddle THD, a physics puzzler only possible via the power of the Tegra 3.
Well, at least on mobile platforms. Some of you may remember Puddle as an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game released earlier this year. This is essentially the same game in portable form — a game developed as a downloadable console title, powered by a tablet.
The processing power required to simulate fluid dynamics in real time is what makes Puddle a Tegra 3 exclusive, though I get the feeling there may have been a little wheeling and dealing in the background here — Puddle is still listed on the Neko Entertainment website under iPhone / iPad. Fluids are rather processor intensive, however, especially when you're tasked with guiding a wide variety of liquids, from water to rocket fuel, through obstacle-laden courses that threaten to evaporate, absorb, or ignite you at every turn.
Levels range from controlled laboratory experiments to industrial engines; from overgrown gardens to the inside of a human body. It's a colorful and challenging journey through life in liquid form.
The game can be controlled by tilting the device (in this case an Asus Transformer Prime tablet), but Puddle truly shines when controlled via USB or Bluetooth game pads. With a pair of analog sticks under your thumbs it's easy to forget that you're playing the game on a mobile device. Connect your tablet or phone to a television and you might as well be booting up your Xbox.
There is power behind Tegra 3 gaming, and with Google's first branded tablet hitting the market this month, more and more people will be eschewing their consoles and iPads for the Android experience. Puddle THD will be waiting.
Puddle THD [Google Play]