E-Motion

E-Motion is an inventive action-puzzle game developed by The Assembly Line and published by U.S. Gold for MS-DOS in 1990. Set in a series of minimalist, abstract arenas, the game places you in control of a small spherical spacecraft surrounded by colourful floating globes. Your objective is to clear each stage before the time limit expires.

To remove the globes, you must carefully push matching colours into one another while navigating a borderless playing field that wraps around in every direction. The spacecraft uses rotation-and-thrust controls reminiscent of Asteroids, while the game’s physics system gives every collision a convincing sense of momentum, speed and direction. Later challenges introduce connected objects and elastic forces, making precise movement and forward planning increasingly important.

With its distinctive geometric graphics, unusual physics-based gameplay and blend of reflexes and strategic thinking, E-Motion offers an experience unlike most conventional puzzle games of its era. Simple to understand but difficult to master, it rewards experimentation, careful timing and an ability to predict how every object will react after impact.