Ilomilo didn't need to be charming to an almost illegal degree in order to be a good game, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
ilomilo
For: Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade)
From: SouthEnd Interactive/Microsoft
iTunes rating: Everyone
The object of each of "ilomilo's" 49 levels is to reunite best friends ilo and milo, who have been separated by a labyrinth constructed entirely of plush cubes.
Reuniting them involves teamwork, with players controlling both characters either alternately by themselves or simultaneously with a friend via local co-op.
But things really get interesting when the game introduces advanced tactics - from creating bridges and elevators out of portable cubes to rotating the entire level and defying gravity - and produces level designs that ask players to use the tricks in tandem in order to reunite the friends and find the other secrets hidden within.
On the difficulty scale, "ilomilo" hits the sweet spot: The harder levels are cerebrally exhausting, but the game lets you take as much time as you want to figure them out, penalising slow players only on the completely ignorable Xbox Live leaderboards.
The relaxed pace provides a perfect complement to all that aforementioned charm.
"ilomilo's" graphical style - everything, from characters to world, looks like a living plush toy - is arrestingly beautiful, and the game's personality and sense of humour strike a perfect balance between lovably endearing and slyly clever.
