Cylinder: Puzzles Returned

[h3]RANKING:[/h3] [table] [tr] [td] [h3][strike]AVOID | FLAWED[/strike] | [b]MAYBE[/b] | [strike]WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE [/strike] [/h3] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h3]SYNOPSIS:[/h3] [table] [tr] [th][b]ASSESSMENT:[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Cylinder Puzzles Returned is an entertaining match-4 puzzle-solving experience. Played primarily through a story-led Adventure mode, thought-provoking gameplay is kept interesting by a mix of fast-paced and the odd complex puzzle. Enhanced by variants and a slither of light mechanics. In-game booster packs extend available content. While a host of challenges and achievements provide some longevity. However, most turn-limited puzzles are over too quickly. A very few spike in difficulty to stall progression. Would have liked to have seen better use of Endless mode. Overall production is solid and polished. The UI could use a little QoL. While gibberish sounding VO is annoying and multiplayer appears dead. A decent puzzler that will [b]MAYBE[/b] appeal to gamers who enjoy this genre. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]STATUS:[/b][/td] [td]Fully complete and released [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]APPEAL:[/b][/td] [td]For fans of fast-paced and thoughtful puzzlers, who don't mind suffering the odd spike in difficulty [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td][b]VALUE:[/b][/td] [td]A tad overpriced for what's on offer [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Key provided by the developer through curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/][b]INDIEGEMS[/b][/url] | Click to follow for more reviews like this one. For video reviews go to our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2][b]Youtube Channel[/b][/url][/quote] [i]More info below....[/i] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3423000399 [h3]CONTENT:[/h3] ► Contains a substantial suite of GAME MODEs from a x10 chapter, story-led ADVENTURE to SINGLEPLAYER practice, endless and one-off individual puzzles. Has a choice of local or online MULTIPLAYER. An EDITOR allows players to create their own puzzles and publish them. ► ADVENTURE mode is mostly a series of turn-limited quick-fire challenges which are over too soon. Solutions tend to be readily apparent or baffling, until they are not. ► SINGLEPLAYER focuses on solitary one-off PUZZLES, to either practice, take on official or custom-made levels. ENDLESS is similar to how Tetris plays, only stopping when a tile hits the ceiling. The inclusion of an EDITOR is a good idea. Of the x40 created, these tend to be rather simple. ► A handful of varied PUZZLE TYPES and variants progressively introduce tile mechanics to diversify gameplay over time. Towards the end of chapters endurance-based or versus variants (against the AI) start to appear. These include: Energise, Versus, Objective and Survival. Wish there were more. [h3]ATMOSPHERE:[/h3] ► The STORY is lite. A zany tale with perhaps some light colonization undertones. Or I am overthinking things!. Either way it didn't provide much in the way of connection, just a clumsy way to link the puzzles together. The WRITING is basic and not a significant part of the experience. ► While not ground-breaking AUDIOVISUALS are pretty good. VISUALS have a cartoon quality remindful of Scooby Doo. The funky/groovy SOUNDTRACK perfectly suits the wackiness of the setting, zany story and eccentric NPCs. The gibberish VO soundbites are best ignored. Had to mute the scrapping tile SOUNDEFFECTS as they were distracting. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3422426131 [h3]EXPERIENCE:[/h3] ► The GAME LOOP revolves around match-4 puzzle-solving and; completing challenges or achievements. ► GAMEPLAY is pretty repetitive. The match-4 is simple to pick-up. Trial and error is enough to solve many puzzles. Harder ones require understanding mechanics and an appreciation for tile positions. Slow introduction of new mechanics helps in understanding these. Higher score combos take more thought to get right when playing versus or Endless mode. ► PUZZLE SOLVING is a mixed bag. Most are straightforward and tend to be over too quickly. A very few complicated ones can be frustrating to fathom, potentially stalling progress. Requires a certain mindset that isn't afraid to experiment or give up. End chapter variants provide the most fun with better engagement. [h3]MECHANICS:[/h3] ► A few SPECIAL TILES aid the efficient removal of more tiles than would otherwise be possible. Tiles can be LINKED from opposite sides of the cylinder, so those out of reach can be removed without using up valuable turns. Even better are WILDCARDS which when created are the most efficient way of clearing all instances of a specific tile. ► STATUS EFFECTS do the opposite adding another layer of convolution to challenges. Some stop tiles from rotating, others hold tiles in place, return them to the puzzle when matched or require more than one match to remove them. ► Without UNDO or HINT options, the more challenging puzzles can cause a lot of frustration and stall or even cease progression. Being able to see past actions on a particular level for that session, could be another aid to players. ► CHALLENGES are comprehensive spanning; daily, weekly and monthly categories. These provide additional incentive to play frequently and ongoing. They appear linked to the Steam achievements. [h3]CHALLENGE:[/h3] ► AI is used only in the VERSUS variant levels. While these can inflict the odd defeat against careless players, the AIs performances tends to be basic. It relies on the player to be slow or make mistakes to get the upper hand. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3422441120 [h3]COMPLEXITY:[/h3] 🔶 ACCESSIBILITY - Initial tutorial does a good job of explaining mechanics. Despite being unnecessarily verbose and overly long. Skipping or misunderstanding how these work will be detrimental. Additional info screens pop up to explain mode concepts. 🔶 DIFFICULTY - Takes some effort to pick up the rhythm of the game's mechanics. Not easily apparent early on, but with time they can be better understood in lieu of practice. 🔶 PACE - Overall designed to be fast-paced, but the harder ones can stall progression. Anyone not so good at solving puzzles may find it sluggish. 🔶 SCALING - The curve seems to be all over the place in Adventure mode. Being stuck at Chp 5, puzzle 9 after 2hrs of trying, ceased any appetite to finish the game. Help from the developer allowed progress. [h3]STAYING POWER:[/h3] 🟨 REPLAY VALUE - Adventure mode is a solitary playthrough. Endless mode is made for repeated challenges. Multiplayer appears dead. 🟨 LONGEVITY - A host of daily, weekly and monthly challenges are incentive to keep playing and required for 100% completion. Endless mode and user-made puzzles provide additional engagement. Those in MP can be earned using SP versus puzzles. [h3]PRODUCTION:[/h3] 🟣 QUALITY - Production quality is good given its only a puzzle game. The only bugs encountered seem to be some achievements incorrectly triggering. Polish is great. Some QoL would make for a richer experience; such as being able to show current challenges in level. 🟣 OPTIMISATION - Runs consistently at 60 fps. Doesn't immediately shutdown upon exit. 🟣 STABILITY - No crashes experienced. [table][tr] [td]Click for:[/td] [td][h1][url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TheIrregularGamer/discussions/0/601895662819333141/]Full Review[/url][/h1][/td] [/tr][/table] [table] [tr] [td][b]REVIEWED WITH:[/b][/td] [td]Build v1.1.1573 INTEL i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 1GB 1920x1080 fullscreen, EVO850 SSD [/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote=]Thank you for reading | Click to follow my curator[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40556040-The-Irregular-Gamer/] THE IRREGULAR GAMER[/url][/quote]

Cylinder brings a handful of fresh new ideas and tricks to panel puzzling; it's a match 4 game more like Kuru Kuru Twinkle or Puzzle Fighter Mode Z than Panel De Pon. The characters all have powers that I thought were interesting without being overbearing, and the multiplayer is pretty good. Cylinder has some *great* netcode which was a genuine surprise: I was able to play seamlessly with people in other continents without so much as a hiccup. Don't expect there to be anyone online (which is normal for a game in this genre), but the price of the game is such that you should be able to gift a copy to a friend quite easily.

Fun puzzle game with both slow challenging puzzles and fast paced modes. The graphics are beautiful too on the steam deck at 90 fps!

great gramphics and grameplay and lots of cylimders

I did not expect my mastery of ship spinning in a favored space MMO to translate so well to the zen of block puzzle gaming, but here we are. For me there was a slight learning curve to get into the flow of it, but eventually I got into a meditative state like pottery sculpting on a turntable, or something, and it clicked. I generally suck at it but it still sucks me in and I lose track of time. If you play on Endless Mode, the penalty of failure is a minor speed bump that resets the board and gives you another run to continue your zen. Just a quick click and you're off. I was very happy with that, and as the game dug it's hooks into me I appreciated it more and more, because it enabled me to keep playing with minimal distraction. Nicely done. The Adventure mode has some proper bespoke challenges too, and it teaches you the ropes very well. For me these types of games tend to be hit or miss. Once I was over the basic flow learning curve with this, it was a hit. I'll be coming back to it for zen sessions as-needed.

Honestly really solid puzzle game!

Great art and music, challenging puzzles

Things I like: Objective Race is my favorite multiplayer mode. The goal switches during the game, keeping you on your toes. Load times are quick, so it is easy to play a couple quick games. There is a practice cylinder in Single Player mode which lets you figure out patterns stress free (helpful for learning how to make silver tiles). There is a "how to" section to explain basic game concepts in case you need clarification or repetition. There is a puzzle editor to create and share your own puzzles. Things I don't like: Music themes are tied to the level, so if you are having trouble on an adventure mode puzzle the repeating track can become annoying after a while. Thinking moves ahead is not something I normally enjoy, but is necessary for unlocking certain content in adventure mode (other content will unlock outside of adventure mode). It took me a while to figure out that silver tiles are "wild cards" not bombs as I first thought (granted I was trying to skip a lot of text early on because I didn't feel like reading). Thankfully there is a "how to" section to explain basic game concepts like this if you need clarification or review.

Super fun arcade-style puzzler with SO MANY MODES! Want to beat up on your friends? 4 player multiplayer. Like meditative solo puzzling? Puzzle mode. Creative itch? Puzzle EDITOR! Super competitive? Single-player Endless (actually plz don't play this I want to maintain my leaderboard spot) Want a mix of it all? Adventure mode. I know I'll be playing a lot more because I feel like I've just scratched the surface of learning some of the combo set-ups and mechanics. Having a lot of fun with this game so far.

i beat tomato and mighty coop on the scoreboard come at me ya'll i'll do it again also i beat coops score on steamdeck BOOM