Recently, the premise of puzzle games has been of two distinct types that I have been able to notice; clearing up shapes and blocks with other similar blocks to gain points with a couple variations to keep things from getting too boring, and where you control a character to move from one area to the other. Outside of a couple of variations and innovative titles like “Puzzle Quest” and “Portal,” the puzzle genre uses those two sub-genres to separate and define themselves. “Spewer” is of the latter sub-genre, and receives a bit more recognition due to the watchful eye of TIGSource and the developer, Edward McMullen, developer of the platformers “Gish,” and the upcoming “Super Meat Boy.”

In “Spewer” you play an adorable pink-and-red blob who must make it to an exit in each level by jumping and dodging spikes. How, you ask? It just so happens that you eat everything you come across, and you can not only projectile vomit and swim in said vomit to cross paths, but you can also eat your own regurgitation to charge your meter. That’s a sight from a video game that won’t leave your mind ever again. Supposedly created by the background scientist who shows up from time to time, the player navigates each level, getting introduced to new gameplay concepts each time. Some examples include the pills which change your colors and allow swimming through spewed clouds, or one that creates solid mass instead, as well as acid which kills you stone dead upon touching it, as well as breaking floors and opening the occasional switch from time to time that liquid is needed to trigger- including your own spewed juices.

The graphics are firm, and very white all around, with the brighter pastels used for distinguished characters and gameplay elements, such as yourself. Of course, a cute, little red blob with dainty red eyes is pleasing, and not overwhelmingly cute when you start puking up the food you ate to swim in puke… although when the thing rests in the muck, it’s adorable. Death, to be honest, was a little disheartening when the little guy explodes, its body goes instantly pale and with little x’s over his eyes. It makes you feel so bad.

The only real sore point in the game is the music. It’s a little hop-and-jump of cyberpunk-ish tunes which keep looping, but, while it may be expected for a flash game, the levels feel kind of bland without having the ambiance or a more developed game. My recommendation would be that if you want to play the game with music, use your own collection in the background. While the game’s music does fit the tone of the experience, it just won’t leave your head, and that’s not really helpful when you’re trying to make a bridge out of your food. While it is a good game, there is always room for improvement, even on small projects. Overall, the game feels a little rushed.