In I-Fluid, oven gloves are stone-cold killers and a slice of orange could be your only hope for survival. The overall premise is simple enough – you’re on the kitchen sideboard playing Marble Madness through a macro lens, negotiating Micro Machines-esque obstacles as you find your way to the chequered flag. Of course, this isn’t Xbox Live Arcade, it’s the PC indie scene so – naturellement – there’s a cracking twist involved.

You’re a tiny drop of water and as such are entirely vulnerable to your surroundings. Fall too far and you’ll literally splash apart on impact. Roll across an absorbent material and you’ll be soaked up. In I-Fluid kitchen towels, biscuits and oven gloves are as deadly as they are massive and don’t even think about getting too close to those muffins – they’re fresh out of the oven! It won’t be a quick death either, you’ll be absorbed or vaporised slowly, shedding beads of water and shrinking as you are consumed. It’s a very clever mechanism that makes progress all the more tricky since you’re left yet more vulnerable to environmental threat. In your shrunken state you’re ultra-susceptible to falling – one leap too far or a tricky downward slope and you’re toast.

An ingenious concept and fun to play but not without its faults. 7 Verdict Thankfully, help is just around the corner. Small pools of much-needed liquid refreshment congregate in damp places. They rehydrate you to your former plump self and can be found in many places. A freshly washed (and still wet) cup is your friend in this respect, as is any kind of fruit, veg or plant life. Having to negotiate a level on this basis presents a very high-concept and refreshing challenge. There’s certainly no shortage of puzzle and platform quandaries – the possibilities are nearly limitless and Exkee does a good job of exploring them. That said, there’s plenty of untapped potential here – I-Fluid is certainly ripe for a sequel.

Physics also plays a vital role in your progression. You’re often required to ram smaller obstacles out of your path, balance precariously on drooping leaves or tip over mixing bowels by see-sawing backwards and forwards to create a window of opportunity for your next jump. For an indie title with a limited budget its important to note quite how accomplished the physics engine really is.

In the same vein, the graphics are remarkably polished and detailed. Surfaces aren’t photorealistic by any means, but they’re lovingly and professionally crafted with realistically proportioned form and physicality. The depth of field effects might look like they’ve been applied with a shovel, but they certainly help to accentuate the macro feel.

New skills are acquired on a gentle learning curve through the first half-dozen or so levels and go from the rudimentary jump and double-jump to the ability to traverse vertical surfaces and ‘possess’ physical objects that are made up largely of water (a tomato, for example). While these skills are eased into your arsenal (and with no shortage of helpful prompts) the learning curve barely budges for the first eight missions then suddenly flies through the roof come level ten – exactly two thirds of your way through the game.

We couldn’t help but fall in love with the concept and took great pleasure racing around Exkee’s micro-world, but a sequel is certainly in order to fine-tune the level design and to iron out issues with the camera tracking.