2 people found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 16.9 hrs on record (3.1 hrs at review time)
Posted: 27 Jun, 2017 @ 1:50pm
Updated: 27 Jun, 2017 @ 1:55pm

You might like if: You like gentle-paced 3D visual/spatial puzzlers.

Kula World anyone?

A very unassuming, yet enjoyable marble-rolling 3D puzzler. I tend to forget it's there, then go back to it and go "oh hey, I forgot this was pretty neat!" - You basically roll around the level with the aim to collect all of the sunflowers to unlock the exit. Why a ball need sunflowers is anybody's guess... But screw it, it looks nice.

The challenge, of course, is in the myriad of tiles introduced along the way. Some collapse after you have used them once, others have spikes that can be deactivated with a switch... and the classic: Ice which keeps you rolling in the same direction - often off the edge of the board.

But this is only half the challenge. When rolling over curved blocks, your orientation and gravity shift with it too, adding a neat dynamic to the game. Sometimes the only way to reach a certain spot above you is to roll around so that it ends up below you, allowing gravity to do its thing. Add into this the regular additions of new blocks, and this makes for a decent puzzler that picks up difficulty pretty nicely - many levels often needing a few attempts to fully crack. I'm not even halfway, so estimate you should be able to get at least a good 10 hours out of this one. Not bad at all for a puzzler.

It looks nice but could perhaps be a bit 'cleaner' / more zen (akin to the likes of Quell, Patterna and Hexcells). Right now it feels like it's not sure what its design should be... particularly in combining HD and retro into some sort of arcade machine. I'm not a big fan of the retro music and sounds, which leaves it feeling a little jarring. That said, the pixelated blocks changing into beautiful HD as you roll near them is an interesting touch and makes for a nice extra to 'paint' the whole level so to speak.

So it's a bit slow to get into and not as engrossing as other head-scratchers out there. But the puzzles are plenty and well-crafted enough to give you something to sink your teeth into. Overall, I'd say it's a well-balanced mix of trial-and-error with sufficient "oh! I think I've spotted how to do it!" to keep it rewarding.

Note: The metallic ball does not contain an infinity stone. I've tried looking.
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1 Comments
Marigold 30 Aug, 2024 @ 9:35am 
Your review is lit! 🔥 It's like reading a mini novel, so much detail and passion. You're a pro at this, seriously!