Zenses Ocean is part of the Zenses line of games, which is set to debut with two titles, Ocean and Rainforest. Zenses is (quite) specifically targeted at the 25 and older female casual gamer market segment, featuring simple puzzle gameplay and relaxing music. As the name indicates, Zenses Ocean features an ocean theme, including beaches, sea life, and ambient ocean sounds.

Zenses appears to be a portmanteau of “Zen” and “senses,” which is embodied in its peaceful music. Seen as a critical piece of the experience, The Game Factory even plans to offer the music for download on its website. The music is meant to be relaxing, though this contrasts somewhat with the timed nature of some of the mini-games.

Zenses Ocean includes six puzzle games, each of which include nine difficulty settings. The names are tentative, but are called Stones, Pearl Diver, Turtle Turn, Hot Spot, Shell Twirl, and Wave Breaker. The games themselves are meant to be played in short runs, although high score tables are kept for each of the games.

In Stones, players touch adjacent stones (in all eight directions) with matching patterns to make them disappear. The game is almost exactly the same as Pair-a-Gone from Super Mario 64 DS. The goal is to remove all of the stones from the stack without any left over. Success brings another stack while failure results in a game over.

Pearl Diver begins with a field of pearls of different colors and a set number of turns. The goal is to remove all of the pearls. Lines drawn connecting sets of three matching pearls will make the pearls disappear. However, lines cannot be drawn if other pearls block their path. If pearls are trapped within the confines of the sketched triangle, bonus turns are awarded. Players can also click individual pearls to make them disappear, though this will also consume a turn.

Turtle Turn is similar to Super Mario 64 DS’s Puzzle Panic (and the classic “Lights Out”). Here, a set pattern of turtle shells is presented. Touching a shell flips the shell and all adjacent shells. The top screen displays the target pattern as well as the optimal number of turns in which the level can be completed, though the number of turns is not limited. A reset button lets player start again from the initial configuration. If players mess up too many times, an option to try another puzzle appears, all the while the timer counts down.

Hot Spot displays a target pattern on the top screen. The bottom screen includes fragments of the pattern. Clicking on each fragment rotates the piece, which can be dragged and locked into position. This game features simple designs meant to resemble sea creatures, and difficulty is increased slightly due to each piece’s animation.

Shell Twirl resembles Magnetica at first glance, but is a completely different game. Three concentric rings of shadows of shells and starfish swirl around the screen. Two inventories of actual shells and starfish scroll from the top of the screen. These items must be dragged over their corresponding shadows. Adjacent items of the same color as well as flashing items add bonus points as does clearing a ring. Missing a drop inflicts penalties, though this must be done intentionally if no valid spaces exist.

Finally, Wave Breaker tests memory by directing players to find shells and starfish in the sand. The positions of these items are initially displayed on the lower screen before being washed over by a wave. The items’ positions, now buried under sand, must be touched. Occasionally, the wave will create false pockets of sand to up the challenge a bit.

Zenses Ocean reminded me of some of the less frantic mini-games found in Super Mario 64 DS/New Super Mario Bros. Now, this should be a good thing because many of those mini-games are a lot of fun. However, Super Mario 64 DS included 36 mini-games as well as a full-blown platformer. Each Zenses title includes only six mini-games and is set to release at a full standard price point. When the title is this shallow, a purchase is hard to justify. But then, I’m not part of the target market. Though if I was, I think I might be offended by the perceived lack of desire for substantial games.