When I saw a friend playing this game, I asked him how it was (it was already on my wishlist). I guess he liked it enough and thought that I'd like it too that he gifted me a copy out of the blue! So, true story, that's how I got this game for "free". On with the review...
I did end up liking this game, which plays like a cross between a match-three game and Minesweeper. Clearing tiles earns you additional turns, money, bomb upgrades, etc., while activating certain ones helps you narrow down where your enemy is and ultimately light a bomb under their feet. Every time your turn ends, or you somehow click on the tile where the enemy is hiding (and it isn't a bomb tile), you take damage. Keeping a healthy balance between lengthening your turns, collecting money, and attacking the enemy takes a little getting used to-- plus its easy to forget to use items, as they're in a menu that's tucked away-- but it's a great puzzle game system, and a good amount of fun.
Traveling between battles and plot points are different sorts of puzzles. Each node within a network contains at least one symbol telling you what's contained within connected nodes. Unfortunately, this isn't explained at first, so I found myself confused in the game's early sections, but it is soon after. Oh, and there are other, more logic-minded puzzles present, particularly in the endgame.
One thing I'm not sure I like how they're handled are the item and program menus. Items are primarily used in battles, and programs only within the network screens. There are more items and programs that can be carried around at one time, but swapping between them within a network can only be done at special nodes, and it's impossible to change them after entering battle. There were a few times when I had to quit out of a network because I had the wrong spread of items/programs on me and was unsure if I'd be able to change them (you can much of the time). Also, every time you leave a network, either voluntarily or because you lost a battle, you have to start that network's whole plotline over again. This means that in addition to replaying battles you had won before, you'll typically be subjected to repeated bits of dialogue, leading to a lot of clicking to get past them.
Speaking of dialogue, the game's story concerns a hacker, the Glitch Witch, who has gone missing. The player has their laptop, and is asked to fill in for the Witch. By traversing across the networks linked to from the Witch's desktop, the player encounters the Witch's friends and enemies, and with their help, you begin to track them down. There's a lot of computer-related humor, but thankfully few bits that are groan-inducing. The game's aesthetics are rather cutesy/twee, with animal avatars for most all of the characters, so if that's not your sort of thing, you may want to stay away.
Despite the issues I had with the menu designs and repeated text boxes, this game was fun and worth playing. It's not the easiest game, particularly in certain later networks where there are no opportunities for healing, but if you're looking for a story-centric puzzler with an interesting cast and plot, it's worth considering.
