Rhombus

I played a demo of this game during steam next fest, thought it had a lot of promise for a basic concept and saw how the game could be expanded upon in a major way, so I went to pick it up once I saw it was out... only to find that the full version only really added like ~3-4 real puzzles, with most of my run time being back tracking because I forgot to set a puzzle element the right way and the area to move said puzzle element is all the way across the map. leading this to just kinda feeling like wasted potential

🔸 EXPECTATIONS: I had no preconceived thoughts. 🔸 REALITY: a 3D labyrinthic game. 🔷 Rhombus is a short game where you interact with panels (The witness-style) to alter some platforms' heights and open the path forward. It has a single level/space and the end goal is to reach the exit, located at the centre, but it first needs to be unlocked. 🔹 The whole game is based on that unique interaction (you can't even jump) and presents a single challenge: go to A, then B, C... unlock the exit and leave. It's also stripped from any plot, environmental storytelling or explanation for why we need to reach the end. 🔹 While that might seem simplistic, the end result is interesting and will test your spatial understanding of the environment. The level doesn't just hold a puzzle that leads to another, in a linear fashion; it's a maze that requires backtracking and only gets more complex the more you explore. 🔹 I could do with a game with no story and (almost) no art, but I only wished that the music had had more presence. It marks every big new achievement, but in between I would have liked to feel less 'alone'. What it does have is an alternate ending for those that are really paying attention. 💠 Rhombus doesn't bite more that it can chew: it presents one mechanic and does cool things with it. Rid from any decorations, it puts you straight into the 'thinking' mode, and while it might feel short, it's also not stretched. If you like finding your way in a maze, you'll probably enjoy it. POSITIVES: 🙂+ 😄+ 😍+ NEGATIVES: 🙁- 😠- 😡- *nothing to remark [quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news and everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] and check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote]

Great to start the year with a gaming surprise! This is a first-person puzzle game with a compact world. You can raise or lower platforms using isometric cube diagrams on panels, and then you can also do some other things with raising and lowering that you unlock later. There is no storyline, you just need to unlock everything to access the ending panel. The art is minimalistic, but nice and clean. A lot of people who played this game seem to have played the demo first - I didn't, but I heard several people praise it, so I picked up Rhombus at launch. This means my game time is relatively higher, because I had no idea about the main concept lol. I also got stuck twice - once I ended up looking up the answer (this seems like the spot where most people get stuck, judging from the achievement list) and the other time I didn't and eventually figured it out. I was also afk for about 10 minutes but that still leaves ~five hours of play time. The description says the game is nonlinear, but I think that only applies to the stuff you need for the bonus ending. Everything else seemed linear to me - I might be wrong though. On that note, I found the bonus ending very easy and some of the stuff before it relatively hard, but I see many people feel differently. So if you think there's absolutely no way you could do the bonus ending, give it a little try before giving up. There is a lot of backtracking in the second half of the game, which was sometimes a bit annoying, especially when I fell down someplace or other by accident. I haven't managed to lock myself, and the level design seems very well thought-through, like Outer Wilds amount of thought through (of course this is a much smaller-scope game with no narrative). I forgave the amount of backtracking because the puzzles in the second half were worth it. I did find myself wishing there was a [spoiler] room which would allow me to lift the sections up/down without having to trek to their respective panels, but there were some puzzles where that was part of the puzzle, so I don't know... [/spoiler] Genre notes: I'm not sure I'd call Rhombus a metroidbrainia because [spoiler] knowledge itself doesn't really unlock things and it's quite linear as far as I can tell.[/spoiler] But it does seem inspired by The Witness, which is a metroidbrainia - so it's definitely at least adjacent. In any case, I enjoyed it, and I think metroidbrainia fans would likewise - and pretty much everyone open to first-person puzzle games too. Give it a try! ___ Source of the game: Bought with my own money (w. launch discount - I think it is absolutely worth full price BTW)

This was quite the interesting game, the puzzles were well made with hints to a "true end" or extra secret secret hiding somewhere that was too hidden for me to intuit the solution... thankfully there are some helpful people in the discussions giving some hints that got me on the right path. I've already recommended this to at least 1 friend thus far and find no reason to stop. If Mr. Born's other and future games are on par or better than this game, I see myself supporting more of his endeavors. Bless and good luck.

Short but really fun puzzle game, the core mechanic gets exapnded on in some really cool and unique ways! I would have to agree with other reviews asking for faster movement speed/a run button though, as making a mistake can feel worse just due to how slow movement is. Overall very fun though, glad I picked it up after playing the demo!

有一点货

Great new puzzling concept. You really have to think in different manners than standard first person puzzlers. Getting through the first bits is easier, but the additional tablets are mind twisting. If you like first person puzzler than this is definitely something for you!

군더더기를 전부 걷어낸 극도의 미니멀함을 자랑하는 퍼즐 게임. 상호작용이라고는 어떠한 규칙을 갖는 블럭 위아래로 움직이기 밖에 없으며, 플레이어는 오직 블럭을 움직이는 것으로 길을 만들어 지역을 개척해 나가야 함. 몇몇 막히는 구간이 있었지만 특별히 어렵진 않았고, 개인적으로 생각하는 퍼즐 게임의 대명제인 "주어진 모든 요소에는 목적이 있다"에 충실하면 전부 풀 수 있음. 메트로브레이니아를 표방하지만, Ooo나 leap year 같이 플레이어로 하여금 새로운 테크닉을 습득하게 하는 레벨 디자인은 보이지 않음. 다만 특정 시점에서 월드의 높이를 조정하게 되는데, 이 때부터 지나온 길을 다시 들르게 되고 길을 개척하는데 쓰인 블럭들이 새로운 길을 개척하는데 쓰이는 등, 요소의 재발견 측면에서는 적당한 층위가 주어졌다고 볼 수 있을 듯. 제작자는 영감을 얻은 게임으로 위트니스 (패널), 안티챔버/매니폴드 가든(아트), leap year (꽉 들어찬 비선형성)을 제시하는데, 아무래도 게임 전반 - 조작, 메커니즘, 아트 스타일 - 이 극도로 단순하다 보니 이들과 차별화되기 보다는 열화되었다는 감상이 더 큼. 특히 지식 기반 게임 특유의 자발적 학습과 이를 요구하는 문제가 보이지 않는다는 점에서 더더욱. 하여튼 비슷한 플레이 타임을 갖는 유사 장르의 다른 게임과 비교하면 부족한 점이 있긴 하지만, 일단 이 좁은 판에서 즐긴 만한 게임이 나왔다는 점에서, 제작자가 더 발전한 게임을 내놓길 바라기에 나는 추천. 업적은 하나를 제외하고 게임을 클리어하면 획득할 수 있으며, 진엔딩은 엔딩을 보는데 있어 전혀 쓰이지 않은 요소들에 집중하면 조건을 금방 알아낼 수 있음.

Petit jeu d'énigme vraiment sympa à réaliser pour se détendre !

Probably one of the best puzzle games I've played recently. Absolutely ingenious design.