Kavel

[b]kavel[/b] is a tetromino-based matching game. it's not like any old tetris though, but one of those board-based, non-falling ones. random grids with 5 different shapes and tetrominoes to place (the next one is also shown), ideally only covering one shape type (or four different ones), otherwise no points for you. you can still place them anywhere though, matched shapes disappear either way, new ones enter from the north. [b]bombs[/b] can be present from the beginning and more are created by scoring points. they clear connected shapes of the same type if matched, and if you happen to match 2 bombs with one tetromino, they'll clear every instance of that shape on the grid. matching 3 or 4 is even better. the former re-arranges the board by color, the latter upgrades bombs, detonating those increases your multiplier and matching 4 upgraded bombs grants extra tetrominoes or time, depending on game mode. non-scoring placement doesn't trigger them, so if you see a green and a blue next to each other, don't bother. [b]endless score attack on random boards[/b] is all there is, though [b]3 game modes[/b] provide some variety and [b]leaderboards[/b] deliver competition. [u]casual[/u] offers 50 tetrominoes one by one, do your best without any time constraints. [u]frenzy[/u] has a 90-second time limit, multiplier for matching stuff quickly, and [u]zen[/u] is literally pointless in every way. the problem with frenzy is there's no dedicated space for the multiplier indicator, so the board keeps going up and down as it comes and goes. the space for it should always be there to keep the board in place. there's also a [b]tutorial with annoying text display sounds and the inability to show full sentences with a click[/b], plus it doesn't explain anything more than the very basics. you might want to check the [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2458643440]official guide[/url] to learn about most of the stuff I mentioned above and more. [b]why isn't this info present in the game itself?[/b] it'd be a separate help screen, just as optional as the tutorial if you want to figure things out for yourself. [b]controls are mouse-only[/b], no hotkeys, except [b]esc quits the game without warning if you're in the main menu[/b] (doesn't quit the current game though). click and drag a tetromino to place it on the grid, just left click on it or right click anywhere on the screen or while dragging to rotate. good enough, but [b]I wouldn't mind if mouse wheel also rotated[/b], both on mouseover and while dragging. moving the tetromino around shows how much of the board would be cleared in the current position. handy. the auto drag toggle simply sticks the piece to your cursor, saving on some clicking. since there's nothing else to do but drag, it's actually more useful and less annoying than it sounds. it's a [b]mobile port done really well for the most part[/b], great minimalist presentation, nice piano music, functional sound effects. settings include languages, color, shape and background variations, toggles for right/left-handed play and screen shake, resolutions and windowed mode. the two issues I have are [b]no volume settings[/b], only toggles for music and sound, and while resolution options are in a pull-down menu, [b]everything else, including 60+(!) color palettes, has to be changed by going through them one by one, left or right[/b]. most of them are fine with only a few choices, but palette selection is a total joke and [b]settings aren't available while playing, but going back to the menu saves your progress[/b] (except in zen mode, which is still pointless). there's an achievements button in the main menu but it only brings up the steam overlay. other than the issues highlighted above, [b]it's fun if you're into score attack matching games[/b] and the price ain't too bad either. though I'm not one to stick to any one of these games for long, and not only because I suck at them, so waited for half price and was prepared for a much worse port. still, hopefully it'll get some more attention from the developer for an even better experience.

[h1]500円なら全然あり[/h1] ＜昔買ってレビューを書いていなかった作品。通常のレビューより簡素＞ 本作は画面上のブロックに対してお題となるテトリミノを埋め込んでいくカジュアルパズル。 埋めるところがなくても即ゲームオーバーというわけでもなく、フィーバーモード以外は時間制限がないのでじっくり遊ぶことができる。 ゲームモードは 　・カジュアル（50ピースでハイスコアを狙う時間制限なし） 　・フィーバー（90秒制限） 　・禅（制限なし無限モード） が存在し、白熱しながら楽しむなら「フィーバー」一択となる。 他のモードはつまらなくないが、禅はともかくとしてカジュアルですらストレスフリーに近いので気楽を超えて眠くなるのが悩ましい。 ゲームルールは至ってシンプルなので簡単なパズルで遊びたい気分になったらおすすめできる。 逆にパズルゲームに慣れている人からするとフィーバーモード以外は恐らく眠くなるのではなかろうか。

Pretty awesome game for occasional playing! I am a huge tetris fan which made it easier for me to see good oppertunities to get the blocks in. Price is perfect too!

Played a bunch of this on mobile. An interesting and chill puzzle game!

Fantastic. Addicting. For lovers of Tetris, Match-3s, and intense quick thinking

Moment to moment, Kavel is immensely satisfying to play. A polished, vibrant surface conceals a game with a serious degree of challenge and depth. Also highly recommended is the zen mode - a source of much appreciated meditative calm. There's a sense of joy threaded through the game that makes it so inviting. No matter how involved you become with its skillfully interwoven complexities, you're certain to enjoy time spent with Kavel.

Great chill puzzle game. I've played it to help me relax after a few stressful days

I've mainly been playing this via my Itch.io purchase, but had to get it again on Steam just to write this. Kavel is a wonderful blend of Match-3 and Chime with the familiarity of Tetris thrown in. It is both relaxing and challenging at the same time and a game I mcan absolutely recommend to anyone who likes puzzle titles. The best puzzle games are simple to play but require much dedication to master and Jerry Verhoeven has nailed that feeling with Kavel. At £3.99 it is a complete bargain too. I initially struggled with the colour pallete due to vision issues, but the game has been updated with a dark mode which is a complete game changer for me. Stop whatever you are doing and buy this now!

I was a little unsure of this game at first, as I normally like to move things on grids using a keyboard or d-pad and the mouse seemed a bit cumbersome. Switching to the mode that automatically holds the piece made the game much better, and I am not sure why the other mode is in the game (much less the default). I really like the visual design of this game. I think that the effects are appropriately juicy without being over the top and a lot of the colors look very nice. I think the core puzzle is a fun twist on the match 4 genre. It definitely feels very rewarding to line up several bombs, and figuring out how to line them up is a satisfying puzzle. I don't quite understand exactly how the scoring system works, and it would be nice if the game was a bit more transparent in that regard (I am also curious how the masks and board are generated, but that isn't the kind of thing I normally expect games to explain)

Kavel's not your average score-based match-3 (and it's not just because you're matching [b]4[/b] instead of 3), though it still strikes similar chords to the genre while bringing new things to the table. For starters, you have to drag tetrominoes onto a board of colored shapes and have all the shapes in said tetromino be the same (or different) in order to clear them, score points, and spawn bombs in the process. Bombs are your best friend as creating matches with them can result in things like clearing shapes in a tetromino match as well as other alike touching shapes, clearing all of one type of shape from the board, and rearranging the board to sort alike shapes together. There's also super bombs (increase score multiplier) and omni bombs (wildcards, but also increment turn count/time and can spawn 9 bombs when four of them are matched) which end up making Kavel feel pretty involved. I enjoy the mechanics and the "self-sustaining engine" style of play that ends up taking place where you build up fuel before trying to balance using it to succeed and regaining it so you don't lose momentum. Even the small-scale stuff like trying to make each tetromino placement count in the turn-limited Casual mode, continuously matching to keep your multiplier intact in the time-ticking Frenzy mode, and making (non-matching) moves in order to set up certain clears feels nice to do. I also appreciate all the visual modifications (skins, piece appearance, etc.) to suit your style. This isn't Candy Crush, but things certainly look sweet and candy-like! As mentioned and alluded to earlier, Kavel's has a big emphasis on scoring and it's got that "just one more run" feel to it as well. In addition to that, the achievements it has were cool to try and complete, and as the game itself mentions in its tutorial, "Achievements will challenge you to become a better player," which I agree with, at least in Kavel's case! Some of the achievements had me get curious about the game's systems and eventually learn and take advantage of them to score better, which felt good! If you're an avid puzzler and/or highscore-chaser, I recommend giving Kavel a whirl!