Stonebot Adventures

If you like Sokoban games or other block pushing games such as Chips' Challenge then this will be just up your street. It is a very pleasant variation on the Sokoban theme with many new elements which make the puzzles more fun, interesting and of course - harder! The interface, graphics and sounds/music are all very nice - nothing overly fancy but functional and pleasant enough to serve their purpose allowing you to enjoy the game in a relaxing atmosphere. However, what really matters in this game is the quality of the puzzles - while I am not a master puzzler (more of a casual player) I am finding that the puzzles in the Simple Level are just right for me to play through with my 9 year old son. They are well designed and provide enough challenge to make you think and be able to solve them without giving up. I would like to see this game grow and maybe incorporate a level editor, more elements and more levels. I don't know how this game isn't more popular. If you like Sokoban or any puzzle games for that matter - just buy it, you won't regret it.

Stonebot Adventures is classic Sokoban with a variety of new puzzle elements, smooth controls and clear, colourful graphics. If you enjoy Sokoban, or brain teasers generally, then do try this game. I love it! The new elements are certainly interesting. I have my favourites, but they all serve a purpose - to baffle and delight. You might scratch your head, mutter to yourself; you’ll definitely cheer when a problem’s solved. And you don’t need to restart a level unless things have gone really pear-shaped because this game has multiple undo’s. There are currently two puzzle packs available, simple and tricky, each with 53 puzzles. The simple pack, which I am still working my way through, contains puzzles of easy to normal difficulty. The easiest levels gently introduce you to the different puzzle elements before mixing things up and you have the option to figure out for yourself how they work. I like this feature, but if you don’t, the help pages expand to give more detail. On level completion, you earn a skip level card for future use. I look forward to the tricky pack when I get there! I also look forward to the two new packs that are in the pipeline, bonus levels and crazy levels. Think I’ll save up the skip cards for the crazy pack – just in case!

The game itself is about as basic as you can imagine. Top down block pusher where you control a square and you push other squares and occasionally circles; barely a step above having no graphics at all. That being said, the gameplay, the level design and overall mechanics are pretty competent. 160 'Standard' levels and a handful more 'Bonus' levels. Even the 'Simple' levels require some thought and foresight to solving them. New mechanics and objects are introduced every few levels to keep things fresh, though none of them are particularly unique or groundbreaking. It's worth a buck or two if you're looking for something like Chip's Challenge with a little more thinking, a little less reflex, and an equal amount of graphical fidelity.