The Cambridge Geek

GNOG

As far as I can tell, this was a game originally designed for VR, which has been given a general PC release. I've not yet jumped on the VR train (it's a pretty pricey investment, and until we get full Holodeck immersion I'm not sure how convincing it is) so this is a review of the lazy mouse and keyboard version.

Which is a shame. I suspect the VR version would be way more impressive. It's a puzzle game, of a sort, but is rather more simplistic than you would typically want if you're a fan of puzzles. Think of it more as an interactive toy, with a range of puzzle boxes you need to click, slide, rotate and push or pull around, in various settings.

Who would have thought slow asphyxiation could be so cute?

Each level (of which there are nine), has a different setting, such as a sweet shop, a spaceship, tower of houses, and each has a range of puzzles through which you must progress, in order to achieve some small goal. That might be inducing type 2 diabetes, preventing death by vacuum or allowing a burglar to steal life's savings. All done in a cutesy, blocky style.

Might be electrocuting that guy more than I should.

The style is probably the greatest appeal of this. Each aspect of the solution is satisfying aesthetically. It has a nice "bing" noise, or a pleasant little flow of some element across the screen as a bigger part of the level unfolds. Finishing a level unlocks a bit of excitement, and then sweet Skinner box effect of a job well done. Doesn't last long.

The level complete animations are always cheerful.

Unfortunately, it's definitely style over substance. The puzzles aren't challenging, and though there is some hinting in place that allows a bit of the pleasure of working things out, too often it's simply a case of fiddle with everything until something responds. Bashed through it in an hour and have no urge to replay it. It might be more exciting in VR, but I doubt it's worth the several hundred pounds investment.

Score:
Score 2

Tagged: Game Puzzle 2.5D Easy difficulty PC