Recent reviews by coolz

The Bridge pushes the puzzle platformer genre even further with Escher-themed level design. The pencil artstyle, obtuse plot text (sometimes a bit too over the top), and the tinkering music all fit the theme well.

While there are a few timing and (seemingly) trial & error soltuions, The Bridge offers a unique world to explore and some very interesting puzzles. After Escher, where else can the puzzle platformer go?

Mayhem Intergalactic is a very simple Risk-lite and it presents itself as such. Easy to pickup and the AI (at the Highest setting) provides a reasonable challenge while understanding the mechanics. While some extra UI polish & Numpad support would help, the game is functional and the build & conquer mechanic is classically enjoyable.

However, Mayhem Intergalactic feels like a game built for a community. As with many indie titles, any previously existing community has moved on and I cannot recommend it for this reason.

Simple physics puz-latformer in the same vein as Cut the Rope (collect 3 items before completion). Probably best suited for the phone/tablet audience, but the Steam workshop level designer earns it a few PC points.

While Kario has some interesting puzzles, visuals, and architecture, it failed to keep me as an "explorer". After several minutes of "where do I go next" frustration while rerunning through bland empty corridors, I turned to a guide.

The pacing feels awkward/slow (even with Shift/Sprint held down), the scattered collectables are unnecessary, and puzzle satisfaction is quickly tarnished as you trudge forward (or even worse - backtrack) down long corridors to the next puzzle. Kario could still be complex and grand without the stairs, paths, and extra large rooms. The only thing which drove me to continue was my stubbornness to complete the game.

More Hexcells: added mechanics, even more clever levels, and just the right amount of difficultly.

Simple concept, beautifully designed, strictly logical solutions with minimal punishment (except striving for that perfect score).

Retro-style platformer/puzzler, best played with a controller. Death will happen often, but a fast respawn time and short levels won't let you feel frustrated for long. The achievements & challenge levels are a great addition. The "rage warning" prior to the challenge levels was a nice gesture by the developer, but probably didn't save any controllers from being thrown.

I can only hope Escape Goat 2 delievers more of the same!

Brilliant little geometric platformer with a jammin' soundtrack. Xbox contoller compatible, but must be on before the game is launched.

Super easy to pickup, but you must beat your level to "save" your progress. Even with regular checkpoints, the standard stages ramped up in difficulty appropriately, introducing new elements to keep things interesting. The bosses are fun twists that can be seen as challenging musical minigames.

While the mirror/challenge mode is too unforgiving (no checkpoints), this was a gem of a short game.

This was the deep & complicated puzzle game I was looking for! Impressively developed by one-man-dev Alexander Bruce, these puzzles really distort your world with scripting that could only be delievered in the virtual medium. While I never felt "stuck", the completest in me needed help finding the last few pictures and "hidden" developer rooms.

Beautifully crafted game and a mechanic that feels fully explored given the length. Cutscenes run a little long, but the silent film reel & accompanying classical piano music (Chopin, Vivaldi, Brahms, Mozart) helped keep the "before your time" nesting/matryoshka dollhouse theme.

The puzzles themselves are not too challenging, but having three solutions for each puzzle pushes along discovery. Three hints are also available for every solution and start out obscure, which was great to hold immersion.

Only criticism was the exclusion of a "sprint" key. The game itself didn't feel slow, so this is really minor. Solutions are often close to the problem, but I often found myself on the other end of the map. Still a wonderful world to explore and the free-for-PC DLC "The Lost Hobo King" felt like another full level. Thanks again, Double Fine!