Fluidity (or Hydroventure, as it is called in Europe) is a young series that a lot of us at Nintendo World Report hold near and dear to our heart. The original game, coming out on WiiWare at the tail end of 2010, came out during a time when seemingly no one gave a crap about downloadable games on the Wii. Despite Fluidity's astounding quality, it was missed by a large part of the gaming populace. Woefully, the 3DS eShop follow-up, Fluidity: Spin Cycle, also came out at the end of the year. In Neal Ronaghan's 8.0-scoring review, he noted: "The charm and quality of the original shines through even in Spin Cycle’s abbreviated levels, but in some ways, the game falls short, specifically in the many 360-degree rotation stages." He elaborated on his disappointment by still lauding the game's quality, despite missing the heavier exploration elements: "The experience is still fun and definitely worthwhile, but it’s disappointing after the strike of lightning that was the first Fluidity."

While the fact that only three other staffers felt like they could contribute to this feature says a lot about the reach of Spin Cycle, we have many different opinions, all coming from people who really dug the first game. So join us as we revisit Curve Studios' late 2012 3DS eShop release, Fluidity: Spin Cycle.

And hey! Fluidity: Spin Cycle is on sale until May 9 in North America! Get the game for $7.99 instead of its normal $10.99 price tag! Nintendo must have heard Jonny's plea below...

You can also check out our Review Revisits for Gunman Clive and Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and chime in if you want us to talk about any other recent release in this manner.

Review from Jonathan Metts, Radio Free Nintendo Host

It's easy to claim that Spin Cycle eschews the popular exploration aspects of its predecessor, but that is simply not true. Instead, this portable game features far more total real estate, and although each level is relatively smaller than the interconnected chapters of the original Fluidity (which was still segmented, on a different scale), secrets, alternative routes, and speed run tricks are abound that reward skillful play and observant traversal. The variety of environments is even greater in this sequel, and the controls are more forgiving overall, including button-based jumps and optional touch features. In fact, my only serious gripes with this wonderful game are a middling soundtrack and repetitive boss battles. It is an overlooked, underplayed treasure of the eShop that will hopefully receive a second chance when Nintendo finally puts it on sale to entice additional players.

Review from Tyler Ohlew, Features Editor

In its move to the 3DS, Fluidity: Spin Cycle's bullet points got shuffled and tinkered with. Most notably, players were forced to bid goodbye to the larger scope of its predecessor's world. Suddenly, our Wetroid game wasn't so 'troid anymore.

Well, concessions were made, but I'm still over the moon for Spin Cycle. While the vastness is absent, exploration is still the focus. Curve Studios shrunk down the experience, but managed to keep what made it special. The levels are indeed smaller, but they make great use of the space provided. Expect to slosh around every corner in hopes of finding each and every secret. The controls work splendidly, and while the idea of tilting your 3DS around in public seems silly, do you think it's any more cool to own a 3DS at all? Let them judge you as you tilt the machine, commanding your H2Her0 in the new stages that have you flipping it upside down and all around! A few control issues aside (accidental presses of the Home button, less than ideal touch screen functions), I'm just as happy with Spin Cycle as the original. Different, yes, but no less delightful.

Review from Guillaume Veillette, Radio Free Nintendo Editor

I was a huge fan of the original Fluidity, which was about as close to a perfect Wiiware game as I could imagine. Spin Cycle is very clever in the way it adapted the gameplay to a handheld platform, but I have to question if bringing the series to a handheld was wise in the first place. The form factor of the 3DS just doesn't make motion gaming very comfortable, for instance. You end up not being able to reach certain buttons, and you've got the screen weighing down the top of the system. It doesn't feel right.

Plus, while I can understand why the game was divided into discrete bite-sized challenges with an extra emphasis on arcade platforming and time trials, I just never feel like it's the "right time" to play some Spin Cycle. In public, it's unlikely I'll start playing this game that asks the playing to twist the 3DS every which way. When I got a few minutes to spare and crave some arcade action, I'll go to a couple dozen games that can scratch that itch. And when I'm at home and want to lose myself in a game for a couple of hours, Spin Cycle doesn't fit the bill, whereas the original would have.

As a result, I've ended up playing very little of the game. Objectively, I can tell that it's well made and that it has some clever puzzles, but a combination of certain design choices and the platform the game make Spin Cycle fall into a weird space where there's always something else I'd rather play. Because I can't think of a score that can tell this story, I'm withholding giving it one.

So now we turn it to you: what did you think about Fluidity: Spin Cycle? Share it in the comments and we might use it for a follow-up to this feature! Also, stay tuned for our next Review Revisit on Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask! In the month of May, we'll also cover Little Inferno and 999 is all goes well.