For a game comprised exclusively of right angles, it is ironically one of the most obtuse games I've played. The puzzles in the main path seldom exceed a difficulty level higher than what a typical child could achieve, yet on the other hand, the majority of the optional secrets are obscure beyond belief and sometimes even encroach into ARG territory. So you either A: win the game, and be left without the feeling of accomplishment due to the lack of hardship endured, never quite shaking off the feeling you're still in the tutorial. Or B: attempt some of the needlessly obscure secret "puzzles" and be left with a tremendous headache after bashing your head against some of the most frustrating and asinine puzzles you'll likely ever encounter.

Here are a few cherry picked examples of what you can expect from the plethora of secret puzzles:
1): a QR code revealing the correct sequence of inputs. This isn't a puzzle; it's literally just getting your phone out and pressing the correct controls that it reveals. Though I suppose it's an admirable attempt at a meta puzzle, at least the first time around.
2): a QR code revealing the correct sequence of inputs. Ok, this isn't cool or interesting anymore.
3): a QR code. Ugh, did they really did just reuse the same dumb "puzzle" 3 times? But wait, there's more…
4): a QR code, but this time it's obstructed by some scaffolding from the level rendering it unscannable by conventional means. So I guess we're expected to reconstruct the QR code ourselves in some 3rd party program? Yeah, this is a bit too far for a video game for my taste. Perhaps this style of puzzle is right up your alley, but personally I can't imagine a less fun puzzle; I have no motivation to even attempt it. This is not what I was anticipating from a puzzle platformer game, especially considering the complete absence of any mention of this kinda stuff on the store page.

There are many other secret puzzles, however a lot of the time they are far too confusing to even attempt or begin. On 2 or 3 occasions it's just been a small empty room completely devoid of, well, anything. Nothing to solve or look at or any hint towards anything, at all. For those I bet the solution is something like pressing the controls in a certain order as indicated by a sequence of random symbols in a random room in a random house in a random level but only if turned sideways and parsed through a base64 encoder backwards with the decryption key being the first letter of each person's name in the game credits. And based on what I've read from discussions and guides, I haven't even mentioned the worst of it; apparently there is an entire made-up alphabet and numerical system that you are required to learn in order to solve certain riddles. Yeah nah, if I'm going to go through the effort of learning a language I'd rather learn a real one with practical use as opposed to what essentially amounts to a glorified cipher. So, just skip the tortuous secrets? Unfortunately as I mentioned, ignoring the side stuff leads to a hollow and vapid game experience. This game is bafflingly designed to be an enjoyable experience exclusively for those with an IQ below 80, or above 150, or if you just love following guides.

Even if you possess the intellect required for the secret puzzles, you still need the patience to endure agonizingly slow level transitions and clunky character movement that will result in many falls to your death. This is another huge issue I have; the lack of airborne maneuverability. If you miscalculate a jump, you're essentially screwed as your ability to control yourself in midair is negligible. Amusingly there's no punishment for dying; you literally respawn exactly where you were before, so the rigid movement doesn't result in a more difficult experience, it just adds to the tedium. And those doors, I cringe at the mere thought. Here we have the epitome of frustrating design: a game chockablock full of doors and gateways - about 3 average per level - and the time it takes to transition through one is 10 seconds. That might not sound like much, but each level is small in scale and will rarely take longer than a few minutes, so entering all those doors accounts for a lot of unnecessarily wasted time. With level design being non-linear and splitting off in all directions like it's a family tree from Dark, this naturally precipitates backtracking which would be fine in and of itself, if not for that superfluous transition every time you enter a level. By the end of the game, I had had enough and was just glad to have gotten this game over with. This is obviously not a good feeling to have when finishing a game, especially such a short one, hence my negative review.

Admittedly, the core game mechanic is genius. This is a unique, innovative indie gem, and it might even be considered a masterpiece by some people. The visuals are bursting with life and energy, with even the smallest critters having delightful animations, despite the inherent low fidelity of pixelated graphics. Town areas in particular are incredible examples of pixel art scenery, with so much visual detail to soak in. My initial experience of the game was very positive, as the rotation mechanic was, and frankly still is, mind boggling. Unfortunately for me, several major flaws stuck out and soured my experience enough to dislike the game overall. My surprisingly good first impressions soon gave way to a mere 4/10 experience laden with frustration.

For a game comprised exclusively of right angles, it is ironically one of the most obtuse games I've played. The puzzles in the main path seldom exceed a difficulty level higher than what a typical child could achieve, yet on the other hand, the majority of the optional secrets are obscure beyond belief and sometimes even encroach into ARG territory. So you either A: win the game, and be left without the feeling of accomplishment due to the lack of hardship endured, never quite shaking off the feeling you're still in the tutorial. Or B: attempt some of the needlessly obscure secret "puzzles" and be left with a tremendous headache after bashing your head against some of the most frustrating and asinine puzzles you'll likely ever encounter. Here are a few cherry picked examples of what you can expect from the plethora of secret puzzles: 1): a QR code revealing the correct sequence of inputs. This isn't a puzzle; it's literally just getting your phone out and pressing the correct controls that it reveals. Though I suppose it's an admirable attempt at a meta puzzle, at least the first time around. 2): a QR code revealing the correct sequence of inputs. Ok, this isn't cool or interesting anymore. 3): a QR code. Ugh, did they really did just reuse the same dumb "puzzle" 3 times? But wait, there's more… 4): a QR code, but this time it's obstructed by some scaffolding from the level rendering it unscannable by conventional means. So I guess we're expected to reconstruct the QR code ourselves in some 3rd party program? Yeah, this is a bit too far for a video game for my taste. Perhaps this style of puzzle is right up your alley, but personally I can't imagine a less fun puzzle; I have no motivation to even attempt it. This is not what I was anticipating from a puzzle platformer game, especially considering the complete absence of any mention of this kinda stuff on the store page. There are many other secret puzzles, however a lot of the time they are far too confusing to even attempt or begin. On 2 or 3 occasions it's just been a small empty room completely devoid of, well, anything. Nothing to solve or look at or any hint towards anything, at all. For those I bet the solution is something like pressing the controls in a certain order as indicated by a sequence of random symbols in a random room in a random house in a random level but only if turned sideways and parsed through a base64 encoder backwards with the decryption key being the first letter of each person's name in the game credits. And based on what I've read from discussions and guides, I haven't even mentioned the worst of it; apparently there is an entire made-up alphabet and numerical system that you are required to learn in order to solve certain riddles. Yeah nah, if I'm going to go through the effort of learning a language I'd rather learn a real one with practical use as opposed to what essentially amounts to a glorified cipher. So, just skip the tortuous secrets? Unfortunately as I mentioned, ignoring the side stuff leads to a hollow and vapid game experience. This game is bafflingly designed to be an enjoyable experience exclusively for those with an IQ below 80, or above 150, or if you just love following guides. Even if you possess the intellect required for the secret puzzles, you still need the patience to endure agonizingly slow level transitions and clunky character movement that will result in many falls to your death. This is another huge issue I have; the lack of airborne maneuverability. If you miscalculate a jump, you're essentially screwed as your ability to control yourself in midair is negligible. Amusingly there's no punishment for dying; you literally respawn exactly where you were before, so the rigid movement doesn't result in a more difficult experience, it just adds to the tedium. And those doors, I cringe at the mere thought. Here we have the epitome of frustrating design: a game chockablock full of doors and gateways - about 3 average per level - and the time it takes to transition through one is 10 seconds. That might not sound like much, but each level is small in scale and will rarely take longer than a few minutes, so entering all those doors accounts for a lot of unnecessarily wasted time. With level design being non-linear and splitting off in all directions like it's a family tree from Dark, this naturally precipitates backtracking which would be fine in and of itself, if not for that superfluous transition every time you enter a level. By the end of the game, I had had enough and was just glad to have gotten this game over with. This is obviously not a good feeling to have when finishing a game, especially such a short one, hence my negative review. Admittedly, the core game mechanic is genius. This is a unique, innovative indie gem, and it might even be considered a masterpiece by some people. The visuals are bursting with life and energy, with even the smallest critters having delightful animations, despite the inherent low fidelity of pixelated graphics. Town areas in particular are incredible examples of pixel art scenery, with so much visual detail to soak in. My initial experience of the game was very positive, as the rotation mechanic was, and frankly still is, mind boggling. Unfortunately for me, several major flaws stuck out and soured my experience enough to dislike the game overall. My surprisingly good first impressions soon gave way to a mere 4/10 experience laden with frustration.