Feed Me Oil: Come for the Intriguing Name, Stay for the Great Gameplay

Feed Me Oil Windows Phone

Feed Me Oil. Those three words are almost certainly the single strangest subject line I have ever written for an e-mail. It really inspires intrigue. That said, a game which funnels water from a broken pipe to wherever is not unheard – although those games usually employ more piping to solve the problem. Here, the oil is free to flow and be manipulated and controlled.

Here we have yet another game laid out with multiple areas, each with multiple levels, for each of which your score is assigned a rating on a three-star-scale. You know, the de facto standard for mobile games of this nature. Happily, this model encompasses a good number of levels. There are six areas, and although I cannot see the number of levels of those still locked, the first three each have fifteen levels so it would not be unsubstantiated to hazard a guess that there are then 90 levels in total in this game. This is a decent number, comparing favourably to other games I have reviewed.

I have really enjoyed my experience so far of this puzzle game – so much so that once this review is written I will probably pick it up again for another go. It is hugely challenging at times – but in a good way, in a way that it has issued this challenge and you want nothing but to beat it and feed the land some oil. (Yes, this is actually the premise of the game, to feed the land (personified with eyes and the like) oil.) Using wind, magnets (since when is oil magnetic?), fans and the simple barrier, the player has to guide oil from the broken pipe to a special, marked goal area. Some levels will require the oiling of buttons to remove obstacles, in a nice addition to gameplay, whilst some require the oil to be coloured red which is done by passing the oil between two red orbs before leading it to the goal area.

Each level offers a good amount of gameplay. It was quite early on when I unlocked the “spend five minutes thinking on one level” achievement. They also vary in difficulty, where in some problems the solution might be obvious, whereas with others it may be harder to see the way forward. In the earlier levels, the game is stop-start whilst the game introduces itself and its gameplay. Very early on the tutorial is a bit too basic for my liking, suggesting exactly where to place objects, but it does a good job of introducing the game giving the player a feel for the game, and I suppose doing this caters for players of all skill levels. The game also overcomes players being stuck and rage quitting by offering up a hints system. All you have to do to be shown a suggestion for the placement of one piece is to swallow your pride and hit the button in the top left corner. However, to dissuade excessive use of hints, there is an achievement worth 10G heading your way if you can avoid its use for a total of 30 levels.

I have made mentions of it a few times and perhaps one of the main attractions of this game is its Xbox Live status and the accompanying 200G on offer. However, with this game I do not feel it is making a big deal of its Xbox Live status – it is not focussing on this as a selling point. Instead, and rightly so, it seems to me that the gameplay is its focus point – even in the game – and the achievements are just something that are. That said, the achievements are indeed complimentary to the game and encourage gameplay with achievements for not using hints or finding ‘unique solutions’ (I suppose these are ones that are different to the ones offered by hints) to levels.

This is a great puzzle game to play, a real mental challenge, which relies on its gameplay to sell itself, not its Xbox Live status. Xbox Live is just a happy addition to complement the actual product. At just 99 cents, its rating is a no-brainer – and so should your decision to, at the very least, give the Trial a shot.

Feed Me Oil xBox Live Achievements

• The Fan (5 points): Unlock new element.
• The Magnet (5 points): Unlock new element.
• Gravity Button (5 points): Unlock new element.
• Wooden Cog (5 points): Collect 50 stars.
• Stone Cog (10 points): Collect 100 stars.
• Iron Cog (20 points): Collect 150 stars.
• Golden Cog (30 points): Collect 200 stars.
• Platinum Cog (40 points): Collect 250 stars.
• Keen Feeder (10 points): Complete a level with +4 unused elements.
• Feed Genius (10 points): Complete a level with +5 unused elements.
• Buttons Cheater (5 points): Complete a level with a button without oiling it.
• Feeding Hand (5 points): Feed 5000ml of oil.
• Oil Painter (5 points): Color 5000ml of oil.
• Oil Spiller (5 points): Lose 10000ml of oil.
• Oil Spill God (5 points): Lose 50000ml of oil.
• Free Range Brain (5 points): Do not use hints in 15 levels.
• Organic Brain (10 points): Do not use hints in 30 levels.
• Own Flow Seeker (10 points): Find 30 original solutions.
• Thoughtful Feeder (5 points): Think for 5 minutes in one level.
• Keep Trying (5 points): Set the oil flowing 10 times in the same level.

Feed Me Oil Gameplay Video
by Saijo George

Feed Me Oil Screenshots

Version Under Review: 1.0.0.0

There is a trial version available and the full version is available for $0.99; we are not sure of the limitations of the trial version.

Our Rating for Feed Me Oil

Scan this QRcode with Bing vision ( Hit the hardware Search button and click on the small icon that looks like an eye ) on your Phone to download the App to your phone.

Price : $0.99
   

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