Beautiful and mysterious, PixelJunk Eden is a dizzying display of artistry. Carefully walking a line of Zen-like tranquillity and addictive high score aspirations, it’s an inspired and euphoric mix.

And it’s largely elusive to definition. But if Eden is to be articulated, then it plays, presentably, like Spider-Man’s narcotic induced trip into the realm of two dimensions: meandering through strange neon gardens, growing them to bold new heights by catching pollen with his wavering twine and evading bizarre baddies of shifting geometric form.

From Q-Games, Eden is, at its heart, a collaborative canvas of artistic inspiration. Tomohisa Kuramitsu, known as Baiyon, offers his rapturous and dynamic beats, lifting the game to a level of auditory elation. Arrays of synths make for distinctive electronic melodies that all but enforce a rhythmic quality to gameplay.

The hypnotic music is woven with a visual style that equally conveys immaculate attention to composition. Through contrast, the main world is imbued with splendour; vividly colourful gardens made all the more dramatic by cavernous black backgrounds. And variety is plentiful, with several earthen and rock-strewn gardens that maintain a highly stylized spirit.

Portrayed as a miniscule and rounded figure, appropriately named “Grimp”, you’ll grip, jump and swing from stem to stem and leaf to leaf. Made afloat by intangible currents of air are clusters of pollen, exploding with dazzle should your brisk momentum or cyclical swings catch them. If you concurrently explode the pollen, exponentially larger bursts will occur — resulting in the vast germination of both the surrounding garden and your final score.

This is where Eden clearly separates itself from the solely meditative qualities of something like flOw; multipliers, timing, and a final tally are all of equal importance. It’s further bolstered by the PS3’s newly added trophies, and what you end up with is a far more competitive experience than what would first appear.

PixelJunk Eden’s roots are firmly planted as a highly emotive and aesthetically stimulating experiment. Though, should anyone stumble upon it – be it the most diehard shooter fan, or someone searching for simple gaming serenity – they’ll discover brilliance in its melding of styles and, more importantly, a fine attention to creative invention. Through rich collaboration, Eden is a fully realized vision of interactive art.