Colourblind is a creative first-person puzzle platformer that turns the familiar concept of mixing colors into the foundation of an entire adventure. Developed and published by IcarusDev, it takes place in a futuristic, largely colorless world inhabited by robots and filled with remnants of a troubled past. Rather than treating color as a purely visual feature, the game makes it an essential tool for interacting with the environment. This creates a distinctive identity that separates the experience from more conventional puzzle games built primarily around switches, physics objects, or locked doors.
The main attraction is the color manipulation system. Players acquire different colors and use their relationships to overcome environmental obstacles. Colors can be combined to form new ones and separated into their component colors, requiring the player to think carefully about what is available and what must be produced to progress. It is an accessible concept at first, especially for anyone familiar with basic color mixing, but the puzzles become more involved once several possibilities are available simultaneously. The best challenges encourage experimentation and observation rather than simply pointing the player toward an obvious solution.
Puzzle solving is combined with first-person movement, exploration, and platforming. Players are not confined to small chambers where the only objective is solving an isolated logic problem. Instead, navigation through three-dimensional environments becomes part of the challenge. Jumping, traversing obstacles, locating routes, and examining the surroundings help maintain a more active pace between moments of careful puzzle solving. There are occasional rough edges in movement and environmental interaction, particularly when precision is required, but these issues rarely erase the appeal of the underlying concepts.
The adventure is organized into five chapters spread across five locations, giving the journey a clear sense of progression. Five characters are encountered along the way, providing personality and dialogue within a setting that might otherwise feel deliberately lonely. The robotic cast introduces moments of humor while the wider environment suggests a considerably darker history. This contrast is one of the more interesting elements of the game because the cheerful or eccentric personalities do not completely disguise the unsettling implications of exploring a world populated by machines and the remains of those that no longer function.
Its story gradually encourages curiosity about what happened to this strange civilization. The premise initially appears lighthearted because of the colorful puzzle mechanics and robotic personalities, but dystopian elements become increasingly important. Discovering the truth behind the environment provides an additional incentive to progress beyond simply reaching the next puzzle. The narrative is relatively modest compared with story-heavy adventures, yet it gives context to exploration and prevents the five chapters from feeling like an arbitrary collection of challenge rooms.
The visual direction benefits enormously from the central mechanic. A predominantly desaturated environment naturally makes every appearance of color more noticeable. Color becomes valuable information, allowing important puzzle elements to stand apart from their surroundings while reinforcing the idea that something fundamental is missing from this world. The futuristic architecture, mechanical inhabitants, and post-apocalyptic atmosphere establish an appealing science-fiction identity. Production values are understandably modest, and some areas lack the visual complexity or refinement of larger games, but the artistic concept generally compensates through clarity and consistency.
There is a respectable amount of supporting content for a free game. Steam achievements provide additional objectives, while Steam Cloud functionality is convenient for maintaining progress between systems. Developer commentary is another worthwhile inclusion because it offers additional insight into how the project and its mechanics were constructed. The fact that the game originated as the work of a remarkably young solo creator also gives its scope some useful context, although its strengths ultimately come from the ideas presented on screen rather than the developer's age.
Steam Deck compatibility is rated Playable rather than Verified. This means the game can reasonably be experienced on Valve's handheld, but users should expect that some aspects may not meet every requirement for a completely seamless Deck experience. Minor control adjustments, interface considerations, or occasional manual configuration may therefore be necessary. Its first-person perspective and relatively lightweight presentation still make portable play an attractive possibility, particularly for players comfortable adjusting controller settings when needed.
The greatest weakness is the inconsistency that accompanies its ambitious design. Movement can occasionally lack precision, some environments are more polished than others, and certain puzzles communicate their intentions better than others. Players expecting the refinement of a large-budget first-person puzzler may encounter noticeable technical or presentation limitations. However, these imperfections are easier to tolerate because the game continually attempts to do something distinctive with its central mechanic instead of simply reproducing familiar puzzle conventions.
Ultimately, Colourblind succeeds most strongly as an inventive independent experiment expanded into a structured adventure. Its combination of color manipulation, platforming, exploration, robotic characters, and a gradually unfolding dystopian mystery gives it considerably more personality than its simple premise initially suggests. The five-chapter structure provides enough direction to make the journey feel purposeful, while the color system remains the feature most likely to stay with players afterward. It may lack refinement in several areas, but creativity and enthusiasm are consistently visible throughout the experience.
For puzzle enthusiasts who value unusual mechanics over technical perfection, it is an easy game to consider, particularly because there is no purchase barrier. Its rougher elements prevent it from reaching the level of the genre's strongest first-person puzzle adventures, but the clever use of color and surprisingly ambitious world design make it worthwhile for curious players.
Rating: 7/10
