Searching for My Fav Genre: Another Puzzle Game

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. Have you ever heard of this little EA gem involving a quirky British adventurer in search of the mysterious Golden Suit? Well, it was technically the first game that K loaned me once we got my new white DSi. Given my favorable reaction toward the think-outside-the-box Scribblenauts and Professor Layton brain games, he figured another puzzle game might do the trick.

Hurry, Puzzle Realm monsters are leaking into the real world!

Henry Hatsworth combines a block-style puzzle game on the bottom screen with a side-scrolling platformer on the top. Within an hour, I had nailed down the Puzzle Realm, able to identify potential solutions with a quick glance. (Plus, I found out you can still view the puzzle screen when you pause the game...) It's the platforming side of things that confounds me! Having never grown up on classic jumping games like Mario Bros and Metroid, I found myself dying again and again, mostly if there was a time element involved (like a huge fish chasing me) that would force me to face enemies and jump faster than I was comfortable with. At one point, I frustratedly handed over the DSi to K and said, "Here, fix it."

Several reviews I've read all consistently report that the game gets significantly harder once you reach the halfway point. Doh! I'm only 39% through the game and already struggling a bit. The completionist in me really wants to fight tooth and nail to get through it, but K says there's no point in playing a game once it stops being fun.