[b]geologic[/b] is a simple but clever puzzler featuring 3 shapes with their own set of rules and the dream of reaching their respective exits on [b]200 chessboard-like levels[/b]. they're unlocked one by one, 140 in [i]normal mode[/i], 60 in the so-called [i]billy mode[/i] (see below), but both game modes are available from the start. [b]squares[/b] are easy street, his friends are trickier.
[b]triangles[/b] are the size of half a square and can only move in a direction if they're touching that side of their tile. they can flip over within the same square and moving also makes them change position. e.g. if they occupy the lower-right half (or however you wanna say it), the only options are down and right, and after moving down they'll take up the upper-right half and can go either up or right next time. it's hard to explain (for me anyway) but it makes sense while you're playing. their goal is also a triangle, so simply reaching that tile isn't enough, gotta face the right way. also, [b]moving two triangles onto the same tile, facing the right way, turns them into a square[/b].
[b]circles[/b] (or balls, I guess) are somewhere between the two complexity-wise, as they simply roll in the selected direction until they hit an obstacle. basically, they [b]work like every sliding game ever[/b]. hitting a square stops them as if it were a wall, bumping into another circle makes them stop as well, but also sends the other circle on their merry way. exit tiles don't stop their movement, but a triangle facing the right way redirects them. also, they can't step on a triangle, mobile or otherwise, because they wouldn't fit.
[i]billy mode[/i] mentioned above has billiard balls. same general idea as the circles, except their numbers indicate how many times they can move before becoming a doorstop, preferably where they need to be. pushing them with another ball also makes the number go down.
[b]controls are mouse-based, hotkeys and better movement got patched in almost 2 years after release.[/b] left click to select a shape, which brings up possible directions, then another left click to move. thankfully, there's an option now to stick to your selection, otherwise re-selecting the same shape after every single move would (and used to) ruin the whole thing. right click flips triangles over within the same square once they're selected. [b]hotkeys are non-rebindable[/b], wasd/arrows to move, esc to deselect shape, 'r' for restart, 'u' for undo (backspace would be a good alternative), but [b]the mouse is necessary to select shapes[/b], so might as well use it for movement as well.
levels have a [b]move limit, but you can finish with negative moves just fine[/b], brute force ftw. it's a bit weird, but I don't mind not getting penalized immediately when I run out of moves, and you can still make some progress. level select marks completed levels and has a different icon for ones completed within the limit, but it would be nice if it showed your best attempt too.
[b]undo got patched in[/b], and for once I wasn't the one who had to ask for it. sadly, it's not just a simple button to use at your convenience and only if you want to. nope, [b]you need to collect points by completing stages and use them to buy undo buttons or skip levels[/b]. the skipping part I understand, can't let people jump straight to the end (though I prefer having more than one level to tackle at any given time), but [b]only 2 points are awarded per level[/b] (1 for completion, 1 for not exceeding the move limit), [b]replaying them doesn't give you more[/b]. takes 20 to skip and 50 to unlock 1 (one!) undo per level, 50 more to add another. [b]putting basic functionality behind this nonsense does exactly what undo is supposed to help avoid[/b] and it makes the game tedious and not fun.
the presentation is very basic but functional, though [b]a game from 2020 should have widescreen support[/b]. there are a bunch of mostly pleasant color combos to choose from, there's even a randomizer to switch things up for every level (every restart even), but the color changer doesn't do anything in the menu, so you can't preview what the levels will actually look like. what's worse, the same button doesn't bring up the choices while playing, it just picks a random color setup every time it's clicked, and after that restarts won't randomize the theme.
settings got improved way after release, but it's still not ideal. icons are mostly recognizable and tooltips got patched in, but they appear really slowly. separate volume settings are available for sound and the very repetitive music (2 songs from what I can tell), but there are only toggles while playing a level (hotkeys also work) and the game always starts with audio on. you can switch between 1x, 1.5x, 2x, or 3x window size depending on your resolution (it only goes up to 1.5x in 1080p) and now there's a full screen option too.
[b]the concept and the puzzles are good[/b] and it eventually got patched up to function better, but [b]the way undo is handled makes it hard to recommend[/b]. still, [b]there's a demo[/b] if you wanna give it a try.
