Deflector is a basically designed yet challenging puzzle game, similar to some mini-games you may have played in bigger titles before. The aim is to deflect a laser beam into a receiver on a complex grid with you looking at it from above.

This is done by placing mirrors on the grid and rotating them to bounce the laser off in a new direction. Before setting the mirror in place you must make sure -via a dotted line that indicates the resulting path of the laser- that it will not hit any environmental objects that will end the game. These objects include apartments, trees, bombs and explosive barrels. Take a quick look at this video for an example of the early levels.

Deflector Early Levels

It’s a simple premise that gets more difficult once multiple lasers get involved. Using triangular prisms along with mirrors, you can split one laser into two different coloured lasers. This added difficulty means you really have to plan ahead by placing several mirrors out ahead to catch the new lasers.

Unfortunately this means a lot of guesswork and trial and error. You only have a small budget for mirrors and prisms, misplaced mirrors can be removed but you won’t get the money back, so you may as well restart. Check out this video of a smart-arse nailing a typically mental level.

A tougher Deflector level

Once the game surrounds you with un-laserable property and starts asking you to use lasers to travel across holes and activate switches, it turns into a dull memory game of remembering where to place mirrors that did work and ones that don’t. Hitting restart over and over for the smallest mistake does not make for a fun game.

Pros

• Three levels of difficulty will keep you going for a while
• Not awful early on

Cons

• Too many restarts
• Just not fun

The Short Version: Looking after one laser was relatively fun, but as soon as the prisms get involved the game turns into a quagmire of trial and error and memory testing mundaneness.

5/10

Platforms: PSP (also PS3 compatible)
Developer: GameShastra
Publisher: GameShastra