Sudocats (Xbox One, 2023)

Sudocats

Developed by Devcats Games

Published by Silesia Games

Released for Xbox One|Series (5/9/2023)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/PS5/Switch

INTRO

Sudocats marks the first release on an Xbox platform from the cat-centric developer Devcats Games. Putting a feline spin on the classic puzzle game sudoku, the game aims to offer a simple, quick experience for that niche audience of those that love both cats and Sudoku puzzles. Published by Silesia Games, let's take a look at Sudocats and see what it holds in store for us...

PRESENTATION/GRAPHICS

Sudocats features a colorful, basic menu screen that reminds me of something from the Nintendo Wii/DS days of gaming. The visuals aren't going to blow anybody away, but the cat drawings are cute and have enough charm that the graphic style works well for what the game is trying to accomplish. The audio is sparse, featuring some relaxing piano music that might just lull you into sleep mode if you play too long. All in all, Sudocats sports some basic sound and visuals but for a puzzle game they work just fine.

Golf Peaks (Xbox One, 2021)

Golf Peaks

Developed by Afterburn

Published by 7Levels

Released for Xbox One (9/21/2021)

Also on iOS/Mac/PC/Switch

 

INTRO

Developed by small Poland-based studio Afterburn, Golf Peaks was originally released for the Nintendo Switch back in March 2019. Two years later the game would make its way onto the Xbox One thanks to publisher 7Levels. Don't be fooled by the name of the game, Golf Peaks is not your standard golf game. The goal is still to guide the ball into the hole, but it's done in a turn-based format using cards that represent the moves rather than hitting the ball with a club. Billing itself as a relaxing puzzler, let's take a look at Golf Peaks and see what it's all about...

PRESENTATION

Golf Peaks takes a minimalist approach, both when it comes to the menu layouts and the graphical presentation. While simple in design, everything looks nice and the game is easily accessible to players of all age and experiences ranges. The music does a good job staying in the background and what's hear does a good job matching the simple, laid-back pace of the game. The in-game graphics are well-drawn and easy to look at, making it easy to select which direction you'd like to launch the ball. Overall, Golf Peaks does a good job in the presentation department.

Rememoried (Xbox One, 2017)

Rememoried
Developed by Vladimir Kudelka
Published by Hangonit Studio
Released for Xbox One (12/6/2017)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

Rememoried is about as psychedelic as they come, with gameplay being a combination of a walking sim and abstract puzzle. The concept is that you are roaming within a virtual place where memories change to dreams and forgetting becomes a mechanism you'll have to use to solve the puzzles. The forgetting mechanic occurs by looking away and when turning back around things will be a bit different. Taking place from a first-person perspective, you'll use this technique to solve many of the game's platform-like puzzles.

There are 20 chapters in Rememoried, and if a guide is used while playing the game can easily be completed in under an hour. Even without a guide, the game will not likely last beyond 2 hours, but the short length is not necessarily a reason to dismiss this one. If you want a simulation of some kind of crazy psychedelic trip, this game is going to be of interest to you. While the visuals are mostly in black and white, the developer has done a fantastic job creating surreal landscapes and some of the levels are a real sight to behold. One standout level has you standing within a kaleidoscope, using the analog sticks to move about and rotate the image. I can't say I recall ever having experienced something like that in a game before.

The puzzles in Rememoried have a decent variety to them, with some definitely more challenging than others but overall they are rather easy to figure out and they heavily utilize the "forget" mechaninc. The controls use only the sticks for navigation and RB for jumping which all work well enough. The music isn't overbearing, but does a good job supplementing the surreal visuals you'll see. There's some narration that goes on as you play, but to be honest I was so wrapped up in the visuals I hardly even noticed the dialogue let alone paid attention to it. Those looking for some easy gamerscore and achievements will find something to like in Rememoried, as this is yet another one of those super-quick and easy completions. Rememoried is worth a look if you're into the psychedelic, but due to the incredibly short length I'd reccommend waiting for a sale before picking it up. The game has a tendency to induce motion sickness in those prone to it, so if that's you I'd advise staying away from this one.

Final Verdict: If you're looking for one of the most trippy and psychedelic games on the Xbox One, Rememoried definitely ranks high on that list. A surreal walking sim with puzzles that can be completed in only an hour or two, so wait for a sale first before picking it up.

Related Links:
Buy Rememoried - Microsoft Store
Vladimir Kudelka Interview - Keen Gamer
Rememoried - Metacritic
Rememoried - GameFAQs
Rememoried - True Achievements
Rememoried Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Adam's Venture: Origins (Xbox One, 2016)

Adam's Venture: Origins
Developed by Vertigo Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (4/1/2016)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Adam's Venture is a third-person puzzle/adventure series that originally started on PC back in 2009. There was a trilogy of games released for PC between 2009 to 2012, which were eventually ported to the PlayStation 3 in 2014 as Adam's Venture Chronicles. In 2016, we received Adam's Venture: Origins, which released for all of the big systems this time around. Initially I thought Origins was a prequel to Chronicles, but after watching CGR Undertow's review of Chronicles it looks like it might just be a remake, as I saw several parts in the video that also occurred within Origins, just with a slightly better presentation. Having never played the original games, it's all a bit confusing and I had a bit of trouble finding info on these titles as they just don't seem to be that popular. Let's delve into Adam's Venture: Origins and see if there's a reason not many are talking about this series...

Adam's Venture: Origins takes place in 1920's and you take control of Adam Venture, one of the cheesiest names I believe I've ever encountered. You have set forth on a journey to discover the secret of Eden. In addition to the cliched action hero, you also have the stereotypical attractive companion, who goes by the name of Evelyn. As you explore ancient ruins, you'll be tasked with solving several puzzles along the way while unraveling the mystery. There's also some sort of evil corporation that wants in on the action and plans to use whatever knowledge is gained for bad intentions. The game is chock full of tropes, but the writing is so self-aware of how dumb it is that it can actually be amusing at times. The story actually isn't bad and helps provide the player with some incentive to push along to see what happens next.

Gameplay involves exploring and solving puzzles, with the occasional stealth section thrown in. The exploring aspect is actually not bad, with the ability to run, jump and use a grappling hook with the X button. There are certain spots you can use your hook, which will be designated by an X symbol that pops up when you're within grappling range. These mostly involve swinging from one point to the next, but at some points you'll have to use the hook to pull down bridges or activate levers. Since you can only use the grappling hook on designated spots, it works much better than I initially expected. Navigation works well for the most part, with the ability to climb up ledges and shimmy across at certain points. It's all stuff you've seen in other games and while it's been done better, it's at least functional here. Sometimes the game is really picky where you stand when trying to climb up ledges, but other than that I didn't run into any issues.

Along the way you'll encounter several puzzles and the game does a decent job providing a variety between them. None of the puzzles are too taxing and this can either be a good or bad thing. If you're a puzzle vet, it'll probably be easy to the point of boring but for more novice players it'll be refreshing to be able to complete one of these types of games without consulting a guide. The game stumbles a bit when it comes to the stealth sections, of which there are two in the game. These feel half-baked, allowing to run right behind guards so long as the enemy doesn't flash their light in your general direction. It really fails to give any kind of impression that you're actually sneaking around.

Adam's Venture: Origins can actually look quite impressive at times, featuring a mostly smooth frame rate, detailed environments and good use of colors but unfortunately there are several issues when it comes to the graphics. Throughout my play of the game, I encountered numerous graphic artifacts, strange lack of clipping with many objects and tons of highly noticeable graphic pop-in. The voice acting is also pretty bad, but it wasn't as glaring of an issue as the graphical problems. The Adam's Venture games feature a Christian theme in them, but this one never came across as preachy and other than a few Biblical themes, completely forgot this was a Christian game while playing it.

Adam's Venture: Origins certainly isn't a good game, but it's not entirely bad either. The exploration and some of the puzzles were actually fun, but the graphics issues and stealth segments bring the overall experience down a few notches. There's a decent game hiding somewhere in here if the developers could clean up the visuals and make the stealth sections a bit more enjoyable. If a Tomb Raider game without guns sounds like your thing, give Adam's Venture: Origins a shot, but I'd advise to wait for a sale because this one is by no means worth the suggested retail price.

Final Verdict: Adam's Venture: Origins has some enjoyable exploration and puzzle segments, but the numerous graphical issues and subpar stealth segments drag it down a bit.

Purchase Links:
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Adam's Venture: Origins - Metacritic
Adam's Venture: Origins - GameFAQs
Adam's Venture: Origins - True Achievements
Adam's Venture: Origins Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince (Xbox One, 2017)

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince
Developed by Gamera Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2017)
Also on PC

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince comes from Italy-based developer Gamera Interactive and was released for the Xbox One in December 2017. Fearful Symmetry is a puzzle game where you control multiple characters at the same time, with each being in different dimensions. When you move one, the other character moves as well, but in the opposite direction. Controlling both characters, you'll have to navigate them through treacherous puzzles filled with traps.

Fearful Symmetry is presented with pixel-art, looking like something between 16-bit and 32-bit graphics. Puzzles are viewed from an overhead perspective with the entire puzzle visible on-screen. The sound design is quite minimal as there's no music during the levels, just the ambience of the forest with birds chirping.  There are also key sound effects, such as when traps are activated or your character dies. The quiet nature of the game had me often listening to something else while playing. Overall, the retro graphics look nice but the sound design is a bit lacking, making the presentation a bit of a mixed bag.

The main story in Fearful Symmetry features 25 levels and 3 characters that you'll have to run through each level in order to get the true ending. The story involves each of the characters having their own reason for seeking out the legendary Symmetry Scrolls. You'll only start with the basic character named Hero, but the other characters you'll unlock come with a special ability. Nulan, the 2nd character you'll unlock can use her sorceress powers to burn any bushes or enemies in adjacent tiles. The 3rd character, Haim, has the ability to warp ahead one space, allowing him to dash over traps and obstacles. The levels are slightly tweaked for the characters with skills, setting up ways for you to utilize your new powers. As you play through the story mode levels, you'll unlock bonus levels that you can access at any point from the main menu. There are a total of 10 bonus levels and these are easily the most challenging puzzles you'll encounter in the game.

Fearful Symmetry will probably last you somewhere between 5-10 hours, much less if you end up using a walkthrough for assistance. Considering the game's $5 asking price, you'll easily get your money's worth out of this one and I've also seen it go on sale for something like $1 several times as well. If you're a fan of logic puzzles, give Fearful Symmetry a look. There's a free trial for the game, so if you're on the fence give that a shot first.

Final Verdict: Fearful Symmetry is a challenging puzzle game where you control 2 characters simultaneously moving in opposite directions on opposing screens. Recommended for fans of logic puzzles.

Related Links:
Buy Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Microsoft Store
Gamera Interactive - Official Site
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Metacritic
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - GameFAQs
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince -True Achievements
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Glass Masquerade (Xbox One, 2019)

Glass Masquerade
Developed by Onyx Lute/Stage Clear Studios
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (2/8/2019)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Originally released in November 2016 for PC & Mac, Glass Masquerade made its way to home consoles with releases for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in February 2019.
Glass Masquerade is pretty much exactly what it claims to be: a relaxing puzzle game. The game consists of 25 different jigsaw-style puzzles, but rather than standard pieces you'll be reassembling shards of glass to form a stained-glass image.

Each stained-glass puzzle in Glass Masquerade represents a country and with 25 different levels there's a decent variety when it comes to the themes. The puzzle for Britain features Sherlock Holmes, Germany has a knight on horseback, Sweden features Vikings and China has a dragon just to name a few. The artwork is cool on each one and they look like they could be legit stained-glass pieces. There's a sense of discovery as you slowly unveil each image piece by piece.

The gameplay and controls are simple: select a piece from either side of the screen and drag it to where it should be in the puzzle area, using the A button to select and drop pieces. If the piece is aligned where it belongs in the puzzle (or at least close proximity) then it will drop into place, otherwise it will drop back over to the side, where you can grab it and try again or go for another piece. Each puzzle starts off by giving you a few corner pieces, giving you a base to start from. You can back out of a puzzle at anytime with the B button and the game will save your progress, allowing you to pick right back up where you left off next time you play.

While the control scheme is nice and simple, moving the puzzle pieces can feel a bit clunky. There's a bit of a delay to the piece movement and if you move a piece too far it will overshoot to the other side of the screen. It's not as bad as it sounds and while it was a bit annoying at first I warmed up to the controls rather quick. Smoother controls would definitely have been nice, but once you get used to the movement sensitivity the controls work fine.

Other than the slight control issue, I had a hard time finding much to complain about with Glass Masquerade. Those who enjoy jigsaw puzzles or relaxing puzzle games in general will find something to like in Glass Masquerade. It's fun while it lasts but it's a bit on the short side, so you may want to hold off for a sale before making a purchase.

Final Verdict: Glass Masquerade is a jigsaw-puzzler where you work to piece together stained-glass pictures. It's simple and a bit on the short side, but if you enjoy jigsaw or chill puzzle games you'll likely enjoy this one.

Related Links:
Buy Glass Masquerade - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Puzzle Bundle Vol. 1 - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Darling Bundle Vol. 4 - Microsoft Store
Onyx Lute - Official Site
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
Glass Masquerade - GameFAQs
Glass Masquerade - True Achievements
Glass Masquerade - Xbox Achievements

Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space (Xbox One, 2016)

Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space
Developed by ZG40
Published by Merge Games
Released for Xbox One (1/20/2016)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4

Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space not only has an odd title, but is a strange game as well. The opening of the game proudly declares that the game was created by a single person, a dude named Fabrizio Zagaglia (ZG40). Albedo was originally released for PC & Macintosh in October 2014 and received a port to the PlayStation 4 & Xbox One in January 2016. Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space is an adventure game that looks to invoke a B-movie sci-fi vibe.

The game kicks off with a brief cutscene, showing you sitting at a desk as a watchman for some sort of facility. After watching a co-worker leave for the night, a sudden explosion occurs and you fall through the ground as it busts open. When the game starts proper, you find yourself down in the basement looking up a giant hole in the floor. Albedo's gameplay is a mix of puzzle and adventure. The game progresses by rooms and each room will have puzzles to solve, which will involve interacting with various objects you'll find scattered about. There will be some traveling back and forth between previous rooms, but for the most part the game is linear in progression.

Albedo takes place from a first-person perspective. Featuring detailed 3D-rendered environments, it's not a bad-looking game. Though it's certainly not a good-looking game either, as many of the environments have so much packed into small areas it can be a bit too busy, making it difficult to tell what you're looking at sometimes. While acceptable on a graphical level, the control department is where Albedo really starts to blunder. Items have to be accessed via a menu, then once you've selected an item you need to scroll through another menu to determine what you'd like to do with that item. The game doesn't pause to let you do this, causing for some frustrating combat where you'll have an enemy attacking you while you clumsily try to select an item then select the menu to attack with. It's quite clunky and I never really got a feel for it even towards the end of the game. The controls definitely could've been mapped out better.

Aledo is a rather short game, though unless you use a guide there will no doubt be several areas where you're unsure what to do. Without a guide, the game could last anywhere from 10-20 hours, though once you inevitably end up using a guide the game can be cleared within a few hours. The areas and rooms you'll explore aren't that memorable for the most part, but there were a few interesting sections. The outdoor section toward the end was a standout sequence, but much of what led up to that was easily forgettable.

Albedo allows you to adjust the difficulty of the puzzles and combat individually. When puzzles are set to easy, the objects you can interact with glow green, but even set on easy I still found myself struggling with the puzzles at points (more on this later). Adjusting the combat slider will make enemies tougher and deal more damage. As I've already addressed how bad the combat is in Albedo, you'll want to do yourself a favor and set this to easy.

Albedo started off at least somewhat promising, giving the impression it might be a solid puzzle/adventure game with a lot of weirdness. While the game definitely delivered in spades on the weirdness scale, whatever fun I had with the game completely vanished at the fourth room, which is a boiler room. After a bit of frustration trying to figure out what I was supposed to do, I had to resort to a guide. Even reducing the difficulty to make the puzzles easier didn't help, which speaks volumes to the non-sensical design of the puzzles. It's like the developer knew the puzzles were bad, giving you the ability to skip certain puzzles and having no repercussion on getting the achievements.

This was one of those games I couldn't wait to end; it was painful to play at times. The best part was getting that last achievement and uninstalling this from my hard drive. I consider myself a fan of both puzzle and adventure games, but this was easily among the worst of either genre I can recall playing. The puzzles are convoluted beyond belief and the game is buggy enough that sometimes required objects clip through walls and disappear, making certain parts un-completable.  Couple that with terrible voice-acting and clunky controls, Albedo is a game I can safely recommend you avoid. While the game is a relatively quick completion, there are much better ways to earn some easy gamerscore.

Final Verdict: Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space is a strange first-person action/adventure/puzzle title that has a few interesting ideas but is held back by a clunky interface, clumsy controls and nonsensical puzzles. I wouldn't even recommend this game to my worst enemy.

Related Links:
Buy Albedo - Microsoft Store
Merge Games - Official Site
Albedo - GameFAQs
Albedo - True Achievements
Albedo Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Albedo Platinum Walkthrough - PlayStation Trophies

Old Man's Journey (Xbox One, 2019)

Old Man's Journey
Developed/Published by Broken Rules
Released for Xbox One (3/4/2019)
Also on Mac/Mobile/PC/PS4/Switch

Old Man's Journey was developed by Vienna-based indie studio Broken Rules and has been ported to numerous platforms since its initial inception. Originally released in May 2017, Old Man's Journey made its debut on PC, Macintosh and mobile devices (Android/iOS). In 2018 the game would see ports for both the Switch and the PlayStation 4 before finally ending up on Xbox One in March 2019.

In the game you take control of an old man, going for a journey and reminiscing about the good old days as you stop to savor life along the way. One interesting aspect about the game is that despite the fact there is no spoken or written dialogue of any sort, the devs did a good job conveying a story you'll piece together from the just the visuals. Being an old man, the game has a laid-back pace to it and the puzzles aren't too taxing on the brain, allowing you to play through the game at your own pace with minimal frustrations. Old Man's Journey features a painted-art style to the graphics and the amount of animation put into this game is quite impressive, especially on the main character.

As you guide the old man along his journey, you'll traverse from one screen to the next, solving puzzles and reminiscing upon times of days past. The puzzles involve grabbing and manipulating the hills in the background (by moving them up and down) in order to create a path for your character to move onward. There's some nice variety throughout, but the puzzles all involve grabbing and manipulating chunks of land. One stand out sequence has the old man riding along in a train, requiring you to slide various track and bridge pieces into place to create a path for the train. At the end of each chapter, the old man will witness something that sparks some nostalgia and you'll get to view him daydreaming about his earlier years. The game features 15 chapters and will likely only take 1-3 hours to complete.

While Old Man's Journey is a brief experience, I enjoyed my time with it and would easily recommend it to anybody who likes a laid-back adventure/puzzle game. The story packs a lot of charm and the graphical style is simply beautiful. The short game length makes it an ideal title to load up on and play-through on a lazy weekend. These kind of titles are great to play while on Game Pass (which was on the service at the time of this writing) or else wait for a sale to get the most for your buck.

Looking at the user reviews for Old Man's Journey reveals a large number of negative reviews, all based on the fact that the game flashes up the "Permissions Needed" screen when you first load it up. Several of these reviewers clearly state that they never actually played the game after disagreeing to the permissions screen, which hopefully the people reading those reviews take into account. I'm not 100% sure why this particular title requests permissions, but I can assure you that agreeing to this statement is not going to submit any kind of revealing information about you to the developers. At most they can see your stats, friends list, achievements and that kind of general Xbox Live stuff. Read more about the permissions request here.

Final Verdict: Old Man's Journey is an adventure/puzzle game that doesn't last too long, but has a beautiful art-style and a story with some charm that makes it worth a look for those seeking a laid-back adventure.

Related Links:
Buy Old Man's Journey - Microsoft Store
Apps/Games Requesting Permissions - Xbox Overview
Broken Rules - Official Site
Old Man's Journey - GameFAQs
Old Man's Journey - True Achievements
Old Man's Journey Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Thomas Was Alone (Xbox One, 2014)

Thomas Was Alone
Developed by Mike Bithell
Published by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (11/2014)
Also on Android/iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Vita/WiiU

Thomas Was Alone is a 2D puzzle/platformer originally released on PC & Mac in 2012. In 2013 the game would see a release for the PlayStation 3 and Vita. The Xbox One port would arrive in late 2014, this same year the game would also release on mobile devices, the PlayStation 4 and the WiiU. Thomas Was Alone has the player taking control of various shapes in order to navigate them to the exit, move on to the next screen and do it all over again. The puzzles ramp up in difficulty along the way.

Graphically, Thomas Was Alone is a very simple looking game. The graphics are all composed of squares and rectangles, giving the look an almost Atari 2600 vibe. There are some minor background details and lighting effects that help the game feel a bit modern, but overall the game looks incredibly simplistic. The sound effects match the old-school graphics and many of the sounds reminded me of the Bit Trip games, which also sported a throwback Atari aesthetic. The shapes you'll take control of each have a name and voice attached to them, and you'll frequently hear a voice actor narrating the thoughts and back-stories of the characters as you play. The story in the game has a lot to do with friendships and loneliness. It's decently written and the voice actor does a good job reading it. If you tire of hearing the narration, there's an option to turn it off.

When you first begin in Thomas Was Alone, you'll take control of the rectangular titular character Thomas. There will be an outline of your character in each stage and once you've lined your character up you'll progress to the next screen. There are 11 total chapters, or scenarios as the game calls them, with each scenario containing 10 screens. As you play through, new characters will be introduced. Each have their own shape, name and characteristic. The big blue square can float on water while the pink flat rectangle can be used as a trampoline. You can switch between the available characters on the fly and you'll have to work together with them to pass each stage.

There are collectible pickups scattered throughout the campaign. Each scenario is composed of 10 screens and each of the first 9 scenarios feature 2 collectibles hidden somewhere within. The final 2 scenarios were released as DLC for the first releases of Thomas Was Alone, but here we see it included in the base game. These final 2 scenarios definitely stand out from the rest of the game and feel more like an entirely different game, featuring far less emphasis on puzzles and more on difficult platforming sections with lots of spikes. It feels more like Uncraft Me than it does the first 9 scenarios. These final two episodes aren't bad, they just offer a different and more difficult challenge than anything you've faced up to this point.

There is a frequently reported save bug, with many players stating that when resuming their game it would set them back, sometimes as many as 60 screens! While the game is short, this can become annoying quick. I was lucky enough to not encounter the bug, but I completed the game within three play sessions so I didn't give it much of a chance to glitch out on me. Another thing to watch out for is when starting the game up the menu option for new game is always selected and accidentally pressing this will clear your progress and restart the game. It's something we take for granted that most games start off at the resume game option by default.

Those who dig a good puzzle game and/or retro-style platformers will find something to enjoy in Thomas Was Alone. Throughout the original 9 episodes, there's a nice variety of puzzles you'll encounter and the developer did a nice job keeping it from getting too difficult or frustrating. The final 2 episodes crank up the challenge quite a bit and while they feel a bit out of tune with the rest of the game, but it's not enough to drag the entire game down.

Final Verdict: Thomas Was Alone is a short but enjoyable 2D platformer/puzzle game with some very blocky pixels as its stars. Recommended for genre fans or anybody who wants a quick and relatively easy game.

Purchase Links:
Buy Thomas Was Alone - Microsoft Store

Related Links:
Thomas Was Alone - GameFAQs
Mike Bithell's Games - Official Site
Curve Digital - Official Site

Strategy Guide/Walkthroughs:
Thomas Was Alone - True Achievements
Collectible Pickups Guide - True Achievements
Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Hue (Xbox One, 2016)

Hue
Developed by Fiddlesticks Games
Produced by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (8/2016)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Vita

At a quick glance it's easy to make the mistake of writing Hue off as just a Limbo wanna-be due to the similar monochrome graphic-style. Within a few minutes of playing you'll see that even though both titles do feature similar 2D platforming, the color-based puzzles in Hue give the game a flavor of its own.

When the game begins, everything is seen in gray and black. Your character awakens to find his mother missing and it's up to you to go looking for her. You'll learn about the research she's been conducting at the university via narration in certain rooms along the way. As you progress through the campaign in Hue you'll unlock additional colors while also learning of your mother's efforts to view the different colors of the spectrum and how she perceives seeing them for the first time. Using the right stick brings up a color wheel, allowing you to change the color of the background. When you select a color, any objects that are the same as the selected color will disappear. The puzzles in Hue revolve around using the various colors to make objects disappear and reappear as needed.

Once you get a little ways into Hue you'll have the whole spectrum of the rainbow at your disposal. Some of the later puzzles will require some tricky timing, but luckily if you fail you'll load right back up at the room you were last in. The game never gets too frustrating, but the last handful of screens will leave you scratching your head at first. When switching colors, the game slows down while making your selection, giving you ample time to adjust colors in some of the trickier spots, such as changing colors while in mid-air to make a platform appear in front of you. Like most 2D puzzle/platformers, from time to time there are boxes you can move around. Later stages involve paint blasters that will color your box when splashed, making for some unique box-coloring puzzles. Overall, the puzzle design is solid throughout the game and there's a decent variety to what you'll encounter along your journey.

Hue features collectibles scattered through the game in the form of beakers. There are 28 of them in total to be found and some of them in the earlier sections will require some backtracking after you've obtained more colors of the spectrum. This helps in adding at least a little replay value if you wish to go back and collect all of the beakers, though there is nothing other than an achievement for doing so. That being said, going out of your way to find the beakers can add an additional challenge to the game as some of them are very well hidden.

While the visuals aren't going to blow anyone's mind, the simple graphic style works well in Hue. Everything has a minimalist look and the sound design matches this. The music has a nice relaxing vibe and the sound effects are never obtrusive. Depending on your sensitivity to color, you may encounter some issues while switching colors on the fly. I found myself frequently mixing up the yellow/orange and purple/pink colors, but this may be more of a personal problem and you might not have an issue with it. There is also an option for colorblind folks that has symbols for the colors that can be found on both the objects and your color wheel.

Hue is an enjoyable 2D puzzle/platformer that should only take you somewhere between 7-10 hours to complete. While a bit on the short side, the game is a good time for those who enjoy a nice puzzle and doesn't overstay its welcome. There's a steady ramp to the challenge and by the end of the game the puzzles will really test your brain. My playtime with Hue was around ten hours and in all that time I didn't experience a single crash, bug or glitch, which is something you can't take for granted in this day and age. Having a story is a welcome bonus and the game would have still been fine without it, but having it helps give the player another incentive to push on. If you're the type who loves solving puzzles, I'd highly recommend giving Hue a look!

Final Verdict: If you enjoy puzzle games, especially of the 2D-platformer variety, Hue is worth a look. It's short but worth your time and an enjoyable little game.

Related Links:
Buy Hue - Microsoft Store
Hue - GameFAQs
Hue - Official Site
Henry Hoffman (Developer) - Official Site
Curve Digital - Official Site

Strategy Guide/Walkthroughs:
Hue Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Hue Beaker Locations - Xbox Achievements
Hue - True Achievements

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (XBLA/Xbox One, 2013/2015)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Developed by Starbreeze Studios
Published by 505 Games
Released for XBLA (8/2013) & Xbox One (9/2015)
Also on Android/iOS/PC/PS3/PS4

Brothers: A Tale of Two Suns was developed by Starbreeze Studios, best known for their work on The Darkness and Chronicles of Riddick games. The game follows the journey of two brothers as they search for a cure to their fathers sickness. Brothers is unique in that you control both siblings simultaneously. Each brother is assigned to their own analog stick and the corresponding triggers allow them to interact with various objects and people.

Brothers is a beautiful game to look at in many aspects. The fantasy world feels unique and well-realized. Every so often you'll come across benches, where you can take a seat and soak in some of the lush backdrops. Visually, Starbreeze really did a fantastic job here and everything from the characters to the levels look great. The lighting and shadows are also well done, especially for a title released in 2013. There are also some nice little details such as your characters leaving footprints in the snow as they walk.

There's a bit of dialogue in Brothers, but the characters speak in gibberish you'll have to take in the story by watching and you'll be able to get a sense of what the characters are talking about by the tones used while speaking. Along your journey you'll encounter several puzzles you'll have to solve in order to advance. None of these are too difficult but they make smart use of both brothers. The game is short and will be over before you know it, but it's nice in that it doesn't overstay its welcome. The control scheme is interesting and will feel like it's racking your brain moving around both brothers some times, but the game does a good job of not demanding too much from the player in this regard. For the most part you'll have time to control each brother individually in order to get where you need to go.

During my playthrough of Brothers, I did encounter one of a few commonly reported glitches that made it so I couldn't complete the second chapter. Fortunately after restarting the chapter and going through it again I was able to progress further. It's worth noting that this was on the Xbox One version of the game and I don't recall encountering this glitch on the 360 version of the game.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is totally worth your time, especially when taken into consideration that the game only asks for 3-5 hours of your time. The game doesn't have the highest replay value, but I'd still easily recommend anybody who enjoys more relaxing video games to give it a play. Brothers provides a distinct and unique experience without the frustration of failure so many games have.

Brothers was originally released for XBLA in August 2013. The following month after it was released on PC and PlayStation 3. Then over the following years it would receive ports to a few other platforms, including the Xbox One in September 2015. While the game was available as a digital-download only for the 360, Brothers received a physical-disc release in addition to being available digitally on the Xbox One.

Final Verdict: Brothers is a short but enjoyable adventure/puzzle game where you control two brothers simultaneously using an analog stick for each. Recommended for a nice laid-back single player experience.

Purchase Links:
Buy Brothers (Xbox One Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Brothers (Xbox 360 Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Search Brothers (Xbox One Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Brothers for Xbox 360 - GameFAQs
Brothers for Xbox One - GameFAQs
Starbreeze Studios - Official Site
505 Games - Official Site
Brothers Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Brothers - True Achievements

Escape Goat (XBLIG, 2011)

Escape Goat
Developed by MagicalTimeBean
Released for XBLIG (11/2011)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC

Escape Goat is a 2D puzzle/platformer where you play as a goat. You must navigate platforms, manipulate switches, utilize fellow animal helper buddies, find keys and eventually work your way through an exit. You have a double-jump and the controls are tight enough that the platforming never becomes frustrating. The pixel-art is very well done, with a very authentic 8-bit feel to it. You have an over-world stage where you can choose which set of levels you'd like to tackle next, each represented by a door. There are nine doors to choose from and each one features five levels. Once you've completed all of those you'll go up against the final nine challenges for a total of 54 stages. This game originally retailed for a dollar on XBLIG, making Escape Goat quite the value for a buck! The game will offer up several hours of enjoyment to those who enjoy a nice puzzle/platform challenge, plus after you finish the main game the developers have included a level editor allowing you to create your own levels (local only). A sequel would come out for PS4, PC Linux and Mac in 2014, but the original must not have sold enough to convince them to publish the sequel for Xbox One. Microsoft should have promoted the original game into the Xbox Live Arcade back in 2011 to get it onto the screens of more gamers and it would have been possible to implement the option to share user made levels! As it is, Escape Goat stands tall among the best releases on the XBLIG platform.

Final Verdict: Escape Goat is a wonderfully crafted 2D puzzle/platformer that gamers should not sleep on!

Related Links:
Escape Goat - GameFAQs 
Escape Goat - MagicalTimeBean Official Site

NYAN-TECH (XBLIG, 2011)

NYAN-TECH
Developed by Dot-Zo Games
Released for XBLIG (2/2011)

NYAN-TECH is a 2D platformer with a unique twist. There are blocks in each level that can be activated and turned off with the push of the corresponding button. This is definitely an interesting mechanic and it gives NYAN-TECH a feeling of freshness compared to other puzzle-platformers. The game features forty levels and the challenge factor ramps up as you go along. Stages feature a key you must collect before you're allowed to hit the exit door and you'll be required to juggle turning on/off the blocks as you navigate across platforms. It gets very tricky in the later stages but I never found myself frustrated at the game, probably because the controls are extremely tight and I always felt that I was at fault when I fell into a pit of spikes. NYAN-TECH features some great, simple pixel-art that packs some great animation. If you're a fan of retro 2D platformers, NYAN-TECH is only a buck and is worth every penny. Or it was, as unfortunately this was exclusive to the XBLIG and hasn't been released for anything else since.

Final Verdict: NYAN-TECH is a simple yet addicting 2D platformer and back when it was available on XBLIG it sold for $1. Definitely was worth every penny!

Related Links:
Ninja Bros - Xbox Overview
Ninja Escape - Xbox Overview
Ninja Train - Xbox Overview
Horse Race Starter - Xbox Overview
Nyan-Tech Review - XBLIG.co
Nyan-Tech Review - Indie Gamer Chick
Nyan-Tech - GameFAQs