Beautifully designed puzzle game. The perfect mix of simple intuitive player input and complex layered solutions that gave me that satisfying mini-celebration after completing every single puzzle.

I can't imagine the amount of fine tuning that must have gone into the design to never feel that tedium that some puzzle games get in endlessly trying different solutions to the current puzzle. Especially since the game is one long sequence rather than being split into separate levels. You never have that feeling of "shit, I forgot an orb way back there, better go back and get it" because the game seamlessly removes all those pain points for you. Eliminated back tracking and constantly dropping you into the next puzzle.

I think it was a good choice to go for a simplistic art style and UI, especially since the game has essentially two controls, move and interact. It also has no need for story, yet somehow ends up telling one anyway if you take time to consider the ending.

My only complaint with the game is that I didn't care for the boss fights. There aren't many of them but I found that they took too long, weren't interesting and the moments when I got hit by the boss were usually because my attention was drifting in the long slow movements of the boss rather than it being a good battle. I would prefer if they were either way shorter, such as being a one puzzle solution or removed entirely. They are used sparingly at least, so it only detracts from a perfect score slightly.

I can't recommend this game enough to anyone looking for a novel puzzle game. This has instantly jumped near the top of my list for game of the year contenders and will no doubt go down as one of my favourite puzzles games of all time.

Reviewed on Oct 10, 2023


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