REDITUM

PC

Here’s a decent little first-person puzzle game, that has one neat idea, runs with it as long as it lasts, and then stops. Which far too few games have the good grace to do.

It’s all about solving discreet puzzles in a series of chambers, in which you can flip gravity to walk on any wall or ceiling. Within these blue rooms are three block types – those that just float wherever you put them, those that can only be moved when affected by the direction of gravity indicated by the arrow they sport, and those that reflect laser beams. It’s, obviously, about arranging those blocks to open each level’s portal to move on to the next.

There’s no fuss with story, no attempt at an emotional motivation, it’s just a straight puzzle game, and bless it for that too. What’s interesting here is the combination of gravity meddling and the complication of moving the blocks within that, which allows both direct solution hunting and a fair degree of improvisation.

For instance, I enjoy putting the floating blocks in position so when I flip gravity onto the ceiling, I can then flip back to land on them, affording me a better position for rearranging others, perhaps passing them through small passages to adjacent rooms. Or indeed allowing me a more advantageous stance for arranging the laser reflectors.

There’s not a great deal more to report. It’s all nicely presented, with nice lighting details in what would otherwise be monotonous chambers, and there’s a looping piece of music that never grows irritating. And splendidly, it’s not a prick about anything, so you can play any of the 23 levels without having completed the preceding ones. I couldn’t argue that any of the game’s ideas are original, but I appreciated something short, focused, and well executed. It’s super-cheap too, and almost half price until next week, under £3.50. Or there’s a demo version on Itch. Which means, if you’re after something bite-sized and puzzly, there’s little gamble.

  • EBStar
  • Steam
  • £3.50/€4/$5 (until 15 Aug)

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