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To boldly go where no Mote has gone before

Osmos


“To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions.”
Maybe some of the brainy kids amongst you already guessed that this actually is Newton's third law. But when it comes to Osmos, it’s also the first and most important rule of a very addictive game.

Action = Reactio

In Osmos you take control of a “mote”, a tiny particle looking like an ameba, which only exists within the spatial boundaries of your iPad’s screen. Starting week and vulnerable, the mote is surrounded by other single-celled organisms. Some of them are rather impassive, others could be quite busy and behave very lively; but most of them are rather dangerous — at least as long as they’re bigger than you.
But don’t worry, in theory it’s pretty easy to keep up with them: just gain some weight by consuming smaller entities which in turn should be easy prey for you.

Eat or be eaten

Whenever two motes are colliding, the smaller one will be consumed by the bigger one — so it’s all eat or be eaten. Sometimes, if you don’t act quickly enough, another predator might come after you. Being too reluctant to absorb a dwarf, it could instantly grow into a giant by consuming others, turning the tables on you in the blink of an eye.

In order to get in physical contact with other motes (or to avoid incoming adversaries), you have to propel yourself. By tapping behind your mote, it will emit a little amount of its matter and set itself in motion. Inertia and the frictionless space will then allow the mote to float without any loss of momentum.
But diverting the mote’s course, just like accelerating or decelerating, will always force it to yield a small piece of itself. So with every tap, the mote will shrink a little, which also brings the risk of falling below the size of former potential prey.

When the Hunter became the Hunted

At first, the other motes around you will behave quite static and won’t intend to harm you actively. Just try to avoid the whoppers (which can be hard enough) and rake the peanuts until you became huge enough to complete the level.

But soon other types of motes will come into play:
Antimatter motes will simply annihilate regular matter, meaning there will be no gain for both entities involved.
Repulsors are hard to catch, because they’re repelled by other motes.
Nemocytes always scan their environment for the biggest possible prey and then move quickly to catch it.
Solar entities will drag you into an orbit — but if your angle is too steep, you’ll crash right into them.

Odyssey vs. Arcade

There are two different journeys available in Osmos. The “Odyssey” mode includes a tutorial and will introduce you step by step to the different lures and traps of the game.
Once an odyssey is complete, you can push your skills to the limit by entering the “Arcade” mode, which provides eight different level types with a set of nine stages each.

Another stand out of the game is its varied atmospheric soundtrack which is why the creators of the game recommend using headphones when playing.
The levels will be randomized when starting the game, so replaying one of the levels remains a challenge — and some to the advanced levels really can drive you crazy.

Osmos is a very refreshing and innovative game exclusively available for iPad. You might ask why there is no iPhone edition on hand, but since it usually is a precision job to maneuver the mote around the big screen, this actually makes sense.

Just lean back, return to the roots of evolution and listen to the relaxing tones of Osmos. But be warned! You could end up wallowing in these spheres for hours or even days — trust me, it’s happened before.

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Date
September 2010
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App By
Hemisphere Games Inc
Dealer

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