Slap The Rocks

[quote]For more puzzle game reviews, news & everything puzzle-related, follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25928931-Puzzle-Lovers/]Puzzle Lovers[/url] & check out our [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/puzzlelovers]Steam group[/url].[/quote] [i]Slap the Rocks[/i]' title and trailer tells you everything you need to know about gameplay: slap rocks to move them around the screen, filling in holes to build a path to the treasure chest, on 20 levels. That's all there is to it, puzzle-logic-wise, and there's no narrative layered on top. It's quite [b]short[/b] -- I ran through the 20 levels in ~40 minutes. [u][b]Casual[/b][/u] is a very fitting label, as is [b]kid-friendly[/b] -- a few levels (three or four) had me scratching my head, but only the last level really kicks up the complexity a bit by requiring some serious planning across screens. There's a [b]functional equivalent of "undo"[/b] since you can re-set portions of levels by activating ample signposts on each board, so that you never really get stuck. The order of levels felt a little unbalanced in terms of difficulty, but none of them really got too taxing And that's perhaps the first notable point: [i]Slap the Rocks[/i] has all the components to be a slick and clever game, with pleasing and nostalgic pixel art graphics, clear controls, and a fine core mechanic -- but it [b]never really leans into the [i]puzzley[/i] dimension of gameplay[/b]. So it's slick, but not as clever as it could be. Not every puzzle game needs to be fiendishly difficult, but you should calibrate expectations. A second notable point is that [b]two or three levels throw puzzle-logic out the window and collapse into brute force[/b] -- on these levels strategic rock-slapping is at a minimum, and you're choosing at random between multiple indiscernible treasure chests, most of which are "Decoys" that force you to restart the level and choose again. This felt annoying and grindy, and it cuts down the number of levels that deliver on casual but puzzley/logical fun. While I encountered no bugs, there are some quality of life issues: For sound it's [b]only a single mute-all button[/b]. There's [b]an odd mix of keyboard and mouse-only controls on some menus[/b] -- once in-game you can use keyboard (WASD or Arrows for movement, space to slap those rocks, [b]no rebinding[/b]). <EDIT: Dev has also added controller support; I have not tested that.> You can play in a resizeable windowed mode or fullscreen. Only one track of audio, which would get old if the game were longer, but is unobjectionable I guess. All levels are unlocked from the start, no file system or anything like that. [b]The 20 achievements unlock by selecting each level from the menu. not during normal gameplay[/b], which is a little weird. <EDIT: Dev has updated this!> All in all: It's really built for a single playthrough. It's not the most challenging or most polished game out there by a longshot, but despite some weaknesses in design, the price-point seems fair for what it delivers if what you see appeals to you.

A fine game, however many of the levels degenerate into 'pick the right door' which is just poor design.

Not too bad aesthetic wise, but the level design feels lazy. And having levels with win conditions like "here's 10 chests, guess the 1 that won't restart the level lmao" is reason enough to not recommend this. 100% achievement completion requires beating 20 levels, which can be done in ~30 minutes.

Slap The Rocks is a Top-Down puzzle brain-teaser game where you must slap rocks into holes to create a path for the character to reach the chest. Players must avoid bushes or utilize them to make the necessary path to pass the level. The stumps act like an immovable wall similar to the border of gray stones. The signs provide helpful hints to learn about the game mechanics. One thing I found interesting was finding rocks hidden inside of the bushes along with a few holes. There is also a reset sign which you can use if you find yourself stuck on any level. The reset works similar to a checkpoint which saves your progress as you pass each section. The first ten levels are pretty straightforward and should not be too challenging for the average player. The last ten levels are some of the most difficult parts of this game, which involve decoy chests and multiple paths. The decoy chest can reset you back to the beginning of the level, which can be painstakingly time-consuming. Level 13 is notorious for this as numerous boxes are cursed, and the real one is hiding in the bushes! This game is full of tricks designed to tease your brain to work towards the proper solution. Anyone can complete the game in less than an hour, but it varies among people and how long they spend on each level. The achievements in this game can easily be unlocked using the level selector and clicking on each level for 100% completion. The overall rating would be 9/10 based on length, quality, difficulty, and price. The only part that seemed a bit annoying or repetitive would be the soundtrack.

[b]6/10[/b] Find your way across labyrinths in this Sokoban-inspired adventure game. [b]What is it:[/b] A Sokoban-like adventure game, where you have to unblock your path to the treasure chest. Unlike a true Sokoban, the block don't move one cell at a time, but keep sliding until they hit something else or fall in a hole. Some "walls" (bushes) can be removed, which makes the path finding more dynamic. There's a good difficulty progression, with levels getting bigger and more complicated. However, the levels are quite open, so finishing a level doesn't require too much rock choreography, each rock can usually be handled one at a time. A few of the later levels require moving rocks between screens, which is a good mechanic reminding me of Tetrobot &Co, but sadly underused. A few levels are "tricky", with multiple treasure chests, but only one of them is real, the other ones cause the level to fail and you have to replay the whole level and try a different chest. [b]How hard is it:[/b] Easy to moderate. [b]How long is it:[/b] 30 levels, with multiple screens per level, for a total of between 100-150 screens. Playtime is about 1-2 hours, but only because the player moves so slowly, it should be doable in under an hour with faster movement. [b]Level design:[/b] Average, the puzzles have moderate difficulty and no obvious mistakes, but they would often have unused rocks which to me would have had a pretty obvious use with just a few tweaks to the level design, I would have liked a few more levels requiring moving rocks between screens, and more levels requiring interactions between rocks. [b]Quality:[/b] Decent. Simple 8-bit graphics, simple controls, no bugs encountered. No undo, and the reset button is an actual thing in the level itself which you must go to and hit with the player. My two main dislikes: the game is too slow, which leads to unresponsive controls. [b]Worth the price:[/b] Yes, especially with a 30-50% discount. [b]Most positive aspect for me:[/b] Levels requiring moving rocks between screens. [b]Most negative aspect for me:[/b] Slow movement speed. Also consider: https://store.steampowered.com/app/235980/Tetrobot_and_Co/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2149560/Unforgettable_Voyage

Played on Steam Deck. Fun beginner Sokoban, might be good as an introduction from other genres because of the gameboy style graphics. I didn't like how some of the levels are based on luck, but whatever. There are 10 bonus levels past the original 20 that are a bit more challenging which was nice.

one of the best sokoban games, the art is very beautiful, but the levels are very creative and the difficulty is well balanced in each level. I recommend this game to anyone who likes a sokoban

This a very good sokoban game i have played in a while and it sure is interesting, i like the layout of the game and its very simple. For its price it is a must buy, I highly recommend this game!!

Exactly as the name of the game speaks Slap the Rocks and with that we used these mechanics to reach the chest at the end of the level. I loved the game's proposal, but I mainly liked the leveling of the game, I felt that the game's progression always evolved in a linear way, which kept me stuck to enjoy all the gameplay. It sure is a 10/10 game!

Joguete de puzzle com gráficos retrô simples, curto e divertido. Entrega o que vale. Recomendo.