Archer Maclean's Mercury (2005)

I’ve had Mercury on my shelf since day 1 and I always wanted to play it but I never did. Some time ago, for whatever reason, I suddenly started thinking about it. Maybe it was destiny, I don’t know, I only know that a bit later Archer Maclean died. I felt so said and then I felt I really had to play it. I also felt I had to buy a new battery for my PSP, because the original one had said goodbye. Whatever. I turned on the console and, between the logo, the interface, the music, the sounds, the bakground with the photo I took at the olympic basket medal ceremony in Athens, I was overwhelmed by memories. Jeez, do I really feel nostalgic for PSP? I did play a lot with it, I have to say. Anyway, I launched Mercury and I found a savegame from 2005. It wasn’t mine, it was from another life. So many memories… it’s too much. I started playing and I found a gem, old school in the best way: it’s focused on a single, brilliant idea that’s developed in so many different ways, offering a type of challenge that is layered, demanding, maybe even frustrating but never impossible, often with many approaches. You always have the feeling you can do it if you try hard enough and when you do it, it’s so satisfying, because the puzzles are really great, smart, entertaining. I had so much fun. Goodbye, Archer, you didn’t make too many games but they always were so good. And shout out to your mother too: I invoked her so many times while I was going through the last world of Mercury.