Scratching An Itch: A Virus Named TOM

Back when I was a whippersnapper, I wrote about a charming puzzler called A Virus Named TOM, which seemed a bit like a more excited Pipemania. I continue to be particularly excited by the multiplayer modes, which offer both competition and cooperation, and the possibility of combining the two by ruining a teammate's day. The game is due out in March and pre-orders are now open, with a 50% discount off the final price of $10, access to the beta and, if the order is before Valentine's Day (hurry!), an extra copy of the game. It's not a gift, more of an infection. Isn't that what Valentine's Day is for? Or is that New Year's Eve? I forget.

A narrative structure, brainwork, speed and adorable animations of people being killed by infected machinery. It's like a puzzling Happy Meal in which everything is a toy instead of reprocessed and mushed together chicken faces. I'll be digging through those toys some time soon to see how much fun they are to play with and I'll also test the risk of choking by dismantling and swallowing every single one.

Here's a trailer which is a little more helpful in terms of understanding how the game works.