Looking at various game related message boards, I've noticed PixelJunk Eden being treated as something of a religious experience by some players. The attention is well-deserved, primarily because it is a radically different experience, but like Scientology, it was something that I was interested in, but couldn't get into.

Eden's defining feature is its presentation. The visuals are a cross between Patapon, an iPod ad and trippy digital art. There are no distinguishable details, producing a clean, simple look. There's also a great organic feel as levels grow around you and the lighting changes to match the "mood" of a level. Each garden has its own unique feel and is complimented by an ethereal, techno soundtrack that gently drones in the background.

PixelJunk Eden is the third game in the PixelJunk "series" and joins fl0w in the category of artistic PSN games that are hard to describe. Gameplay is based primarily on exploration and high-flying acrobatics. Playing as a small creature named a Grimp, you begin in an empty Eden that is connected to ten gardens. Each garden is open-ended and challenges you to hunt down Specta to grow things in your Eden. As it grows, you'll unlock passages to new gardens, as well as other secrets.

Like your Eden, gardens are barren places when you first enter them and need to be filled with plants. Empty seedlings are scattered throughout each garden and you need to jump and swing around collecting pollen to "fill" them. Once full, seedlings sprout new plants, bringing you closer to more seedlings and Spectra.

I liked the free-form gameplay, though I had issues with the mechanics behind Spectra collection. The first time you enter a garden, you only need to collect one Spectra to complete it. After that you need to collect two, and so on. Once you collect the requisite number of Spectra, you are immediately kicked out of the garden, forcing you to reenter the garden for additional Spectra. The experience never feels dull, but it rips you out of the game's natural flow. Ultimately, Eden is all about getting into the zone, which is crippled when you're suddenly pulled out and told to restart a garden.

Multiplayer is included, though it is ultimately broken thanks to the camera, which only seems to follow one specific player. I only got a chance to play the game with one other person and had problems, so I can only imagine what things are like with a third.

PixelJunk Eden has a fairly steep learning curve. Throughout the first few gardens, Eden will lure you into a false sense of security. Gardens all feature the same general gameplay, but eventually you'll have to face new challenges, like stone walls and warped gravity mechanics, radically changing your approach. If you can get a handle on the basics, the new level mechanics are a challenging change of pace. If not, they can be a knockout blow.

Finding all of the Spectra in each garden is challenging enough, so the harsh time limit feels unnecessary and adds an unwelcome rushed feeling. It also goes against the game's presentation since listening to the music and seeing the visuals is half the fun of playing.

Getting all of the Trophies is a challenge as well.

The core mechanics are fairly simple. While standing still, you can aim with the left analog stick and press any of the face buttons to launch into the air. Though you have moderate control over where you go once in the air, you have no control over the power or where you eventually land. You can also swing from any surface with a thread by tapping a face button and using the left stick to rotate around in a circle.

Movement will likely be the element that either sells you on the game or keeps you away from it. There's no telling how long it will take you to get comfortable with the setup. I'm still not completely used to it, while my friend picked it up in under an hour. The controls are incredibly responsive, though I didn't like using one button to do two things; I would either use thread when I wanted to jump or vice versa. The lack of direct control over jumps wasn't helpful either. Even after a few hours of play, I would still misjudge an angle and launch over my intended target. I also found myself wanting to do things like shooting threads while jumping or jumping.

I'll readily admit that most of my problems were strictly a matter of personal taste, so it is hard to completely knock the game for it. When taken as a whole, PixelJunk Eden is a fantastic game. That said it is also something that isn't for everyone. If anything, PixelJunk Eden is, without question, a game where playing the demo is a must before making a purchase decision.