Rotozoa, a portmanteau of rotation and protozoa, is one of the more relaxing games in the Art Style series, taking place perhaps in a primordial pond where microscopic protozoans swim freely. Its distinctive art style reminds me of Electroplankton and flOw. As a typical Art Style game, Rotozoa is simple to play, but tough to master.

In Rotozoa, players control a circular structure with a number of colored tentacle arms ranging from two to five, which are made up of chains of smaller organisms. The object of the game is to grow your tentacles to a maximum length as quickly as possible. If an organism of a particular color matching one of your arms hits it, the creature adds itself to the chain. However, if the organism hits an arm of the wrong color, the arm breaks at the point of collision, losing several of your collected bugs. Of course, success results in longer arms, making it harder and harder to avoid improper collisions. Difficulty ramps up with the number of arms you have to manage.

The game uses the Remote in sideways configuration. While traveling around the 2D plane with the D-pad, the 1 and 2 buttons are used to rotate the organism either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The tentacles float around as you would expect them to in a liquid, and when they get longer, your rotational movement can block organisms from reaching their matching arm if not handled appropriately. Get too close to an organism and it will dive into you, so players must strike the right balance between spin, pursuit, and retreat. Cyclone power-ups will prevent damage for a short time.

Rotozoa includes a number of game variations. In the main mode, players must collect a given number of organisms on each arm in order to continue. Extra awards are given for achievements such as not using the cyclone power. An Endless mode challenges players to keep stringing as many organisms as possible. In Snake mode, players only have to manage a single tentacle, again trying to make it as long as possible.

Sadly remaining unplayed for much of the Summit, Rotozoa seems like a game that some people “get” and others don’t. I definitely got it. Manipulating your organism in Rotozoa is an art where finding the right flow can be both relaxing and intense. Perfecting a balance between simple to begin playing, yet becoming challenging in later levels, Rotozoa is another great addition to the Art Style series from Skip, and one that I will definitely be adding to my collection. Check below for gameplay of a two-armed organism.