Puzzlings
by Chris Thomas on Wednesday 29th Jul 2009

Even if you don't like match 3 games you really should give Puzzlings a chance.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of the whole match 3 puzzle scene. There are just so many games trading off the same mechanic that after a while it’s hard not to become jaded. As a result it was with much trepidation that I approached Puzzlings, a match 3 game by Bight Games and one published by the good people over at Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom’s last game to face our review system, iZombie Death March, came out a little worse for wear with a meagre 5/10 score, a fact that also had alarm bells ringing. I’m happy to report however that my fears were entirely misplaced, Puzzlings is an absolutely wonderful title and one that I can heartily recommend to anyone, even those of you that don’t even care for match 3 puzzle games.

Puzzlings is bold, vibrant and chock full of strong block colour: Its as if the developers spent the last 10 years of their life watching Nick Jr and then filtered this decade of life experience into a single purified aesthetic. The look will draw in youngsters like a moth to a flame while the more mature gamers among us will be less thrilled. Persevere however and before long even the most hardcore and “elitezor” gamers will be hard-pressed not to fall in love with the little orange chap and his extensive wardrobe. In fact the clothing and accessory collection aspect of this game is what really elevates it above the competition.

The fundamental gameplay will be instantly familiar to most and is most comparable to Zoo Keeper. Using a finger you sweep across the blocks flipping them across each other to create 3 or more of the same colour and design. You don’t have to make a match with every sweep which gives you a lot of breathing room in terms of setting up combinations and larger matches. To the left of the action your puzzling character struts along and the speed of his walking acts as an indication of how well you’re doing. If you’re struggling to make matches he’ll slow down and hang his head but if you’re doing great he’ll bounce along with a cocky swagger; it’s a nice touch and much easier than keeping an eye on the small meter up above.

The game starts of extremely simple and does a superb job of easing you into the game, in fact I dare say Puzzlings has one of the most perfectly tuned difficulty curves I have seen for a very long time. After a while the game does start to throw a few curve balls by introducing larger sized blocks that are much harder to move around the field and require even more adjoining blocks of the same colour to remove. Not only that but the end of each level requires you to match up four quadrants of a circle by sliding them around the play field, as the game progresses however you don’t have to just connect them but also rotate them to get them to line up. Towards the back end of the game things can get pretty frantic and you’ll certainly feel the pressure when the blocks start to shake as time runs out.

As mentioned earlier what makes Puzzlings so immensely compelling (aside from the captivating aesthetic) is the clothing and item collection aspect. As you play through each level you can unlock clothes that range from regular trousers to hot pants to dirty vests. On the accessories side of things expect to see everything from butterfly wings to rubber rings. Suffice to say by the time you have invested a couple of hours into the game it is possible to make a seriously freaky looking puzzling. The game encourages the replaying of levels in this way by offering not just an item for completing a level but another for beating it within a specific time limit.

Puzzlings is a cunning beast. Bight Games have coupled a delightfully simple set of gameplay rules that damn near anyone can understand and enjoy with a devious collection aspect. You’ll come for the puzzles and you’ll stay for the clothing and accessories. It sounds a lot fruitier than it is. The whole package is beautifully presented and the game boasts a couple of neat features, most notably is the ability the dress up your puzzling and then have him/her pose as you take pictures which are then stored in your iDevices photo app. Ultimately Puzzlings is a fantastic game and one that both Bight Games and Sonic Boom should be immensely proud of. I heartily recommend you give this a purchase, whether you’re a fan of match 3 or not you’re bound to have a good time with this one.