Art of Balance is enjoyable despite its overly simplistic gameplay and painfully boring presentation.
The objective of each level is to stack all of the shapes given on top of one another, creating a steady tower that must remain stable for about six seconds and not fall into the water bowl below. The surface on which the shapes must be placed varies from stage to stage. Sometimes the surface will be flat, other times it will have a lump or gap, causing you to carefully consider which shape should be placed as the foundation and how it should be planted.
Challenges are unlocked as you progress. These challenges don't significantly spice things up, but do provide for a nice change of pace. One type of challenge requires creating a tower of shapes that reaches a certain height. Another asks you to build a steady stack within a short time limit.
Aside from the challenges that pop-up through the game's progression, each world introduces a new element that slightly alters play. For example, in the second world, a new type of block that can only withstand a few blocks on the top of it before shattering, becomes a central piece in creating a stack. Each type of block introduced in world two and beyond can only be found in that respective world. Each world contains over twenty challenges, so it was a good idea to implement a new element with each world and not carry it further.
Art of Balance has a very slick albeit dull presentation. The music is of the slow, house variety--quite boring. You look at little more than the shapes, bowl of water in which you create your stacks, and the bland backgrounds that, along with the tiring music, creates a feeling of being at a spa. There is a young female announcer who gives instructions, tips, and general explanations. She sounds as if she is instructing a yoga class. There is too much spunk in her voice, and it feels like a cheap attempt to be modern and hip.
The yawn-inducing, slightly annoying presentation does diminish the experience, but that's not the only thing that makes Art of Balance an overall lackluster WiiWare title. Though the controls work well, truly challenging you to carefully place each block with steadiness and calmness, there is not enough here to warrant significant time with this one. Once you've built one stack, you've built them all. Though the game introduces new elements, they are not enough to keep things fresh.
There is probably little that can be done to Art of Balance to make it an absolute recommended download. For one, the boring presentation should be ousted for something more charming and endearing. In such titles where gameplay is honestly shallow and simplistic, being bored by the aesthetics does not help. Still, Art of Balance will be an attractive title for some. For others, there are some great gems on WiiWare and memories to be relived on Virtual Console in place of Art of Balance when it comes to spending those 800 Wii Points.