About 110 levels in, and i'm really impressed by UltraNothing. The trailer and screenshots might show a quirky sokobon-platformer hybrid with a very strange aesthetic, but what it doesn't fully capture is the extreme breadth of this game. It feels like every three levels or so a new mechanic is introduced, then promptly thrown away... only to come back much later. It really does a fantastic job at teaching you how things work with extremely minimal use of on-screen instructions and tutorials- while I have bounced off similar puzzle games due to immediately frustrating difficulty (such as Stephen's Sausage Roll), UltraNothing eases you in perfectly and breadcrumbs information across the game's semi-non-linear world.

On top of this, the level design is constructed in very devious ways, with entire halves of the level seemingly built just to fake you out and make you think the puzzle is much more complex than it is. It also doesn't help that secrets seem to be everywhere in this game, with lots of hidden pathways revealing extra hard worlds or levels to help you garner that 100% completion rate... I've spent more time than i'd like to admit scouring levels for secret paths. Another thing I really appreciate is how some of the things you're expected to do seem unintentional or "cheesy", which adds to the unique style of the puzzle solving. (one example of this is being able to "extend" the range of some of your actions by standing on the edge of a platform)

This combination of high mechanic density and very intentionally rough and cryptic design makes for a very addicting game, as i'm at the point now where almost every level I enter starts with me taking pause and trying to parse what is going on with the mess laid out before me. That might sound like a negative, but I honestly think it creates an atmosphere that ascends beyond "just another block pushing game with a mechanical twist", and I think if any of this sounds interesting, you should definitely check it out. It kind of feels criminal that this game ended up only garnering 6 reviews in half a year (at the time of writing), as this might be a contender for one of my most enjoyed games in 2024 so far.

This is definitely one of the more interesting puzzle games I've played, and it has a shocking amount of depth and content, despite its name. Despite how it may look on the surface, it feels like a lot of care and effort went into making this. Whilst I can acknowledge that it's a game that's rather difficult to get into, with a rather obtuse control scheme and a lot of mechanics that you have to figure out on the fly, I think this game is genuinely worth playing.

It's nigh on impossible to describe why, but the puzzles in this game are shockingly moreish, and the general discovery and progression is delightful. Just having this game that obstinately refuses to spell anything but the most basic things out is an interesting concept, and very compelling. 90% of what this game appears to set out to do, it executes beautifully.

The other 10% consists of some specific mechanics, and the controls. The controls are esoteric as ♥♥♥♥ and the general lack of in-game documentation around them makes for a somewhat frustrating introduction, although later on they do become more fluid. This combine with a lack of any undo features can make some of the mechanics pretty annoying to use.

Otherwise, hard recommend to any puzzle game enjoyers.