Any gamer who was into puzzle games back in 1989 has probably spent a pretty huge chunk of time with Pipemania. The original, released under a couple of different names (Pipe Dreams) on more platforms than you have fingers, has sold over four million copies. Empire Interactive is now putting the finishing touches on their remake, set to be released in mid-September. Why remake it now? Why not? Like many puzzle games, Pipemania’s gameplay has stood the test of time.

We got to sit in on a recent developer Q&A where we got the scoop on the upcoming title. Read on for all of the info that we could scoop out of their pipes.

Ever played Bioshock? Remember the hacking sequences? Alright, now imagine that cranked up a couple of dimensions in complexity. Now you have Pipemania. The basic goal is to get the “flooze” from point A to point B through a series of pipes. Pipemania lives up to the classic puzzle mantra – easy to pick up, difficult to master. Being fast with your fingers isn’t enough to win, you must also be able to plan ahead and use your pipes efficiently. As you advance, you must deal with more complicated play areas, new flooze types, and different pipe pieces.

While the original only had one play mode, the remake has several. The core game is a seven-stage World Mode where you travel from place to place and advance through a storyline. If you don’t want to deal with a storyline in your puzzle game, there is an arcade mode. The arcade mode is very similar to the original game. You are presented with puzzle after puzzle with increasing difficulty. There are also bonus levels where you must complete unique challenges, such as correctly orienting a series of fixed pipe pieces. If all of that isn’t enough, there are classic levels taken directly from the original. Multiplayer is also a focus for the development team. The entire game can be played cooperatively with another player. If you don’t feel like working together, there is also competitive multiplayer. DS owners are out of luck, however. The DS version of Pipemania is single-player only for some bizarre reason.

The World Mode is the main meat of Pipemania, with puzzles spread out over seven areas. The opening two areas introduce you to Pipemania and ease you into the experience. Towards the end of the second area, the sewers, you will begin to see the new pipe pieces that weren’t in the classic title. Area 3, the railroad, adds in all sorts of new elements, including bridges that cross over pipes and a new flooze type. The fifth area adds an electrical flooze that jumps from point to point instead of simply flowing. It isn’t completely clear how that will change the gameplay, but I expect it speeds things up dramatically. After that, you will dive into the internet, which has scrolling grids. You’ll have to navigate the flooze across multiple screens. Finally, the seventh area is filled with incredibly hard levels called “superpipes.”

Pipemania is coming out in September for the PC, PSP, PS2, and DS. A Wii version has been announced, but is still in development. The developers at Empire have been careful to make sure the game balance is retained across every platform. The difficulty has been adjusted in the PSP and PS2 versions because of the slower control inputs. No matter which version you choose, you’ll be busy for awhile. Empire has promised over 250 puzzles on every platform. PSP and PC owners will be able to download a demo and try it out for themselves.

I actually enjoyed the pipe hacking in Bioshock, so I can’t wait to get some hands-on time with this title. Will Pipemania be the next puzzle hit, or are those just the pipe dreams of the developers? We should be able to bring you guys some impressions around the time that the game releases, so keep your eyes on the front page for more info on this upcoming puzzle title.

Empire Interactive
More info on the original - Pipe Dream