Kaleidoscope Reef

Kaleidoscope Reef, from the team that brought us Anika's Odyssey, is a new arcade online game with an environmentally friendly message embedded beneath its gorgeous exterior.

A tropical reef thriving with aquatic life is in danger of being destroyed by pollution. Rebuild the underwater sanctuary one screen at a time by grabbing floating polyps, placing them on rocks, and feeding them until they bloom into lush coral.

After a ship destroys a section of reef, a group of friendly fish decide to help it recover. The narrative in Kaleidoscope Reef is simple but charming and is told via wordless cutscenes between each stage. As the coral begins to fill the stones, fish will start swimming by, later joined by other grinning creatures of the sea. Once you've grown enough coral to fill the meter to the left, our fish friends return and set up the next scene.

But all life is not friendly under the sea. The plankton you grab and feed to the polyps is food for other critters too, and some want to take more than their fair share. Grumpy fish will appear from time to time, ready to chow down. A simple click sends them away. Later levels present you with bubbling toxic waste and other baddies that must similarly be disposed of.

It's a simple game idea, and Kaleidoscope Reef doesn't stray too far from the formula outlined above. Because of this, however, the game dips into the realm of tedium in later levels, and despite the amazing artwork and charming message, you won't be as motivated to play as you were when you first started. Regardless, it's an experience well worth, ahem, diving into.