I have not played a lot of stacking games for Windows Mobile, so this genre was a bit new to me.  The idea here is to stack the blocks as high as you can.  Unlike say, Tetris, which allows you to guide the bricks all the way down until they land safely in that open space; in Totem, the blocks hanging from the top of the screen, swinging from one side to the other like a pendulum.  Once you drop it, the block will be released and free fall until it hits the top of the stack (hopefully). 

What sets Totem apart from other stacking games is the back story.  These are not just random blocks falling from the sky.  Instead, the object is to build a totem pole to worship the gods of each of four tribes.  

Building your totem pole  seems pretty easy as there is only a small area in which your block can drop, however, this is deceptive.  If you drop the block off center then it may fall off.  If you have three blocks miss, then you will need to start over again.  Even if your block does not fall off, however, as off-center drop can cause the pole to sway.  still, there is some reward here.  Still, it would have been interesting to increase the difficulty by widening the drop area or adding other obstacles. 

Drop the the block so it lands exactly centered on the one beneath it and you will earn a bonus.  Watch the right hand side of the bonus counter.  Once that counter rises to five perfectly centered connections in a row, you can expect to find a special bonus capstone for your totem pole.

When the game begins, you will only have access to one tribe, building a 12 block totem pole.  As the game progresses, however, you can unlock three additional tribes which must have more demanding gods, because each will require a larger totem pole than the last.

Once you complete a totem pole, you will return to the map view, where you can place the newly completed pole on the  6×6 grid.  To be honest, I did not understand the point of this.  Placing your totem pole on the map really did not seem to offer much to the game.  I would have liked more strategy or purpose to this part of the game.

Likewise, you can also earn medals throughout the game.  Again, while I liked this idea, it was not well developed.  I never was able to figure out what they meant or what I had accomplished to earn them.

The graphics in the game were very nicely drawn, with a unique background location for each of the four tribes.  Each tribe also features its own totem pole pieces.  The animation was extremely smooth, and I thought it really fit well with the rest of the game.  The developers did a great job of avoiding unnecessary animation and clutter, while keeping the game attractive and enjoyable.  This can be a difficult balance to strike.

In the end, I really enjoyed Totem.  The gameplay is a bit on the simple side, but no more so than Tetris or other puzzle games.  The graphics and animation really served to enhance the game.  I do wish, however, that more time had been spent developing the back story, to give various elements like the map view and medals a more integrated purpose.  I think these could have been great aspects of the game; but at the same time, the current implementation seemed to serve no real purpose within the game.  Still, if you are looking for an enjoyable game to fill this free moments in your day, you need look no further than Totem.

What I Liked:

• Easy to learn gameplay

Great graphics and animation

What Needs Improvement:

• Map view and medals should be better integrated into the game
• More challenging levels

Vital Stats:

Name: Totem

Developer: Esoft Interactive

Version: 1.0

Test Platform: Sprint Mogul by HTC with Windows Mobile 6.1

Also Available: All Windows Mobile devices running Windows Mobile 2003 or higher

Where to Buy: esoft interactive

                       JAMM Store

Price: $9.95

Related posts:

1. Quick Look: Stacking the Deck With Poker Stacks
2. Contest: Get Totemized!
3. eSoft Interactive Running Thanksgiving Sale – All Mobile Games Only 99 Cents
4. Quick Look: Nintaii
5. Quick Look: Orions: Legend of Wizards for iPhone. Still the Best Windows Mobile Game Around.