[b]8/10[/b]
Good sokoban in which you can only move in the directions that have a button on screen. Also, an allegorical story about console wars.
[b]What is it:[/b] At its core, a sokoban game, push buttons out of the way or on their targets to reach the exit. The gimmick is that you don’t just push plain boxes, but buttons with arrows on them, and you can only move in a direction if you can see a button with an arrow pointing that way. The mechanics get a lot more complicated as you progress through the chapters, but it all makes sense as part of the story. There’s simple movement, button rotation, parallel timelines undo stack manipulation, multiagent movement, realtime stealth missions, sliding on ice, rolling on wheels, darkness, secret levels…
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553584433
The story is that you were a button on a portable game console which someone smashed. So you start exploring the world looking for a new console to attach yourself to, going through the forest, a cave, a city, meeting unfriendly buttons, and finally a full blown war between the yellow consoles and the pink consoles. Which side will win? It’s up to you and your puzzling skills! Although simple and wordless, the story intertwines perfectly with the mechanics. Each new chapter’s mechanics make sense as explained by the cutscenes, it’s not just an abstract “and now play in the dark”, the story shows that you entered a cave, with torches as the only source of light. And the environmental artwork in each chapter changes, integrating with the story, it’s not just solid abstract colors. Each chapter has its own decorative art and sounds. Throughout the story, you get attached to the main character, and when the story takes a bad turn, you may feel betrayed. When you reach the end of the game, you can’t help but feel like it is a deeply unsettling ending, definitely the bad guys winning. Which is strange, given that it’s all just pink and yellow abstract blobs, how can you know which side is the good side? Still, there is hope, there seems to be a second ending in which the “good” guys win. But how can you get that? Is there a secret path you missed? When you thought you understood all the mechanics, is there another trick you failed to notice?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553584488
This is a great puzzle game, blending multiple mechanics seamlessly through good use of a story. Each new chapter introduces a new concept, and each level in a chapter is unique, forcing you to learn a new twisty trick. Not only do the mechanics change drastically, from simple sokoban to realtime and stealth, but also the scope of the levels, from tiny self-contained puzzles to large scrolling levels with many parts. Although challenging enough for thinky puzzle lovers, it is also beautified enough to attract a more casual audience. Good job!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553584592
[b]How hard is it:[/b] Good difficulty curve, twisty mechanics, challenging levels, but I didn’t feel like any of them were too demanding. ★★★☆☆.
[b]How long is it:[/b] 84 levels in 13 chapters, 3-6 hours. The levels in a chapter sometimes go on parallel paths, with only one of the paths needed to progress, but in general levels can not be skipped.
[b]Level design:[/b] Excellent. Unique levels, interesting mechanics, good guidance towards the solution.
[b]Quality:[/b] Good. Undo and redo are integral parts of the solution, but undo/redo are not always available. Good [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553584316]level select[/url]. Decent keyboard, mouse and controller support, but not configurable, and no input caching. Sometimes inputs are not recognized. Decent audio/video [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553584362]settings[/url]. Color elements that don’t have a colorblind accessibility option, but the yellow and pink shades are not really clashing. Cloud saving, good achievements. Progress reset. Small, fast and generally responsive, and while movement is a bit slow, that is helpful in the realtime portions of the game.
[b]Worth the price:[/b] Yes.
[b]Most positive aspect for me:[/b] Excellent mechanics and level design.
[b]Most negative aspect for me:[/b] Instant restart when failing the stealth portions of the game.
[b]What would make it better:[/b] Undo, redo, restart always available, not just when they have corresponding buttons on the screen. Input caching. Custom level editor and workshop support. Configurable controls. Better colorblind accessibility. Multiple save profiles. Hints, or the option to skip some levels / unlock all levels feature.
[b]Also consider:[/b]
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417520/A_Directionless_Cycle/?curator_clanid=25928931]A Directionless Cycle[/url], very similar concept, sokoban in which things move when the right arrows are present, secret levels, surprising mechanics.
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2945940/Bloxolotl/?curator_clanid=25928931]Bloxolotl[/url], objects move only when the right arrows are present.
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[quote]Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]IndieGems[/url] for more reviews like this one.[/quote]
