A mind breaking simple 2D puzzle platforming game? Sign me up! Come check out our Deleveled review!
What goes up must come down… and what comes down must be bounced! Send momentum from one block to another to shoot them around the map. Cleverly conserve momentum to navigate around the map and flick all the switches but be careful; once you’re down there’s no way back up; this platformer has no jump button.
Each of over 120 levels features four pairs of switches, but which switch goes with which? Figure out which pairs need pressing and how to get there to solve each unique puzzle.
Push the limits of gravity as you explore 10 worlds with their own unique mechanics, bonus levels, challenges, and secrets!
Deleveled is a new puzzle platformer from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild that is all about momentum. I always enjoy a new unique take on the 2D puzzle platforming genre, so I was certainly ready to give this one a try. It all starts out very simple, with a block on the top of a line and another at the bottom of the line. When you move left or right, the blocks on both the top and bottom at the line move at the same pace. There is no jump button for the blocks, so to get around obstacles, you will need to bump one block against the ground to make the other block gain momentum.
Depending on the height from which one block falls to the ground, it will give the same momentum to the other block when it hits the ground. If both blocks fall and hit at the same time, they will both bounce from one another over and over again. Using this to your advantage is how you’ll be able to clear each of the dozens of different stages you’ll be taking on.
The goal of each level is to get both of your blocks time to the exit gates, and the first few levels teach you the basics as you explore the world. You are quickly introduced to switches that need to be activated by having both of your blocks on them. On a level, all switches need to be activated to open the gates, but every time you activate one, your blocks are reset to the initial starting position. Once you turn all the switches on, you open the gates.
If you lose momentum and can’t go anywhere, you can reset your blocks and try again. However, resetting will keep you from earning a perfect star, which you need to unlock special harder levels at the end of each world. I always found myself going back to the previous level after beating it to clear levels I had finished without a star so that I didn’t end up forgetting the different tricks needed for this.
This is the basic structure for all 120 levels, with some unique twists in the format as you unlock each new set of levels. It was enough to keep me thinking the entire time, and while I was never stumped too hard, I did need to use some creative thinking as I played through the later stages. The music is a delight, and with each world, the look and design changes to different color palettes, making every world feel different between those changes and the new gameplay mechanics that are introduced. It’s a minimalist approach to game design, but it works so well here.
I liked Deleveled a lot. It’s a smart, endearing puzzle game, which never ends up being too difficult, but you do need to think a bit outside the box to solve the last sets of stages. This is an easy one to recommend for fans of 2D puzzle platformers.
Disclaimer
This Deleveled review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild.
