Game Review: Pocket Puzzle

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox One, XBox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

I often find that reviewing puzzle games serves as a nice break to the normal gaming routine, as they typically provide challenge and fun in a way that doesn't overstay its welcome. There are of course plenty of games that go completely against the picture I just painted, but I'm always optimistic that they will fall into that very specific trope when I boot them up. Today we're going to be looking at Pocket Puzzle, a game that's currently available on just about every major platform. It's a puzzle game that sees you assemble a pocket gaming console, and we're going to be taking a look at it on the Nintendo Switch. There's really no need for any further intro, so let's dive right in!

Pocket Puzzle has a deceptively simple premise: You have a series of conveyor belt panels that have to be placed in such a way that they eventually move several pieces along a limited space until they come together to assemble a handheld gaming console. Said gaming console resembles a classic Game Boy, and usually is broken into three pieces. These pieces are the bottom case, a set of inner workings, and the top case. These three pieces all have to land at the destination tile in the correct order if you want to clear the level. If any of the pieces fail to make it to the destination tile, manage to get there out of order, or crash into each other along the way, you're sent back a few steps to figure out a different solution. There are 50 levels in total to clear in this game, with 20 of them being optional bonus levels. The difficulty increases as you progress through each puzzle, with new elements being thrown in here and there as well. It's a puzzle system that takes a bit of figuring out, but is surprisingly easy to understand after only a few minutes. It's by no means easy, though the challenge always feels fair and doable. Most important of all, it definitely is fulfilling everything I want out of a puzzle game, so let's see if that holds up as we look at things a bit closer.

Each level of Pocket Puzzle begins with the handheld console pieces separated onto their own tiles, and their starting movements indicated by an arrow. You have a limited number of conveyor belt pieces to place down, and you also have a limited area in order to place them into. You don't have to worry about messing up a placement, as you can simply pick up any tile besides the main ones. The direction of each tile is also something you can change, and you simply have to click on it again to change the direction it goes. You'll often find that puzzles seem easy until you factor in the timing needed to get each piece to the destination correction. Each puzzle square moves along the conveyor belts one space at a time, and you have to factor that in when placing them onto the grid. This means that some pieces, like the top piece of the case, might have to go through a seemingly needlessly longer path so that they end up in the right position at the end. This sort of out-the-box thinking is further expanded when the levels start including switches. Switches will either activate stuck conveyor belt squares, or switch the direction of already placed tile. These switches have to be hit by other moving pieces, sometimes more than one time in a single puzzle, and this obviously further complicates placement. This may sound like things are getting a bit too complicated, but rest assured that the game manages to keep that in check.

One of my favorite aspects of Pocket Puzzle's gameplay loop is the fact that you don't have to completely restart a puzzle if you fail. I mentioned earlier that things can be a bit on the complicated at times, but it's hard to feel overwhelmed when the game is so generous with sending you back when you fail in solving a puzzle. There is really no down time between failing a puzzle and trying again. You're able to run the pieces through your current configuration of conveyor belts at any time to see how things are progressing, and are able to make small changes at pretty much any time other than when the puzzle pieces themselves are moving. It makes getting back into things feel very smooth, and means that frustration is kept to a minimum since you're able to adjust issues with your layouts without having to start from scratch. The puzzles themselves can still be mind-bendingly challenging, but Pocket Puzzle doesn't force you to repeat early steps each time you fail. I can't think of too many puzzle games that let you just jump back into things as quickly as this one does, and I'm sure I'll find it hard to play others that aren't as generous now that this one has spoiled me.

It probably will take a skilled puzzle game player about 2-3 hours to completely clear Pocket Puzzle, with others maybe needing an extra hour or two depending on skill level. Thanks to the way the game instantly respawns you, you can often complete even the most challenging puzzles through simple trial and error if you have the patience to do so. There are 30 main puzzles that come one after another in the main game, and 20 bonus ones you can play from the options menu. These bonus puzzles are basically harder versions of some of the main ones, and feature the same board layout with different stage elements. The amount of content you get here isn't exactly staggering, but I feel it's more than worth its current asking price of $5.99. It all comes together in a package that is far from a polished AAA experience, but more than delivers on the smaller-scale, indie side of things.

If you're a fan of puzzle games, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Pocket Puzzle. It’s fun and unique gameplay is sure to charm you as much as it did me, and its visual design and music are a treat as well. It's not going to shake the world of gaming, nor stay in your rotation for very long, but it is more than worth the afternoon or two of fun it is sure to provide. Grab it on whatever platform you can, and thank me later. See you in the next one!

Check Out Pocket Puzzle on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pocket-puzzle-switch/

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Story: N/A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun puzzle game that has the cute premise of assembling a very Game Boy-esque handheld console.
+ While the menus are a bit bare, the visuals and music make for some great presentation overall.
+ Provides the right balance of challenge and fun. It can't be overstated how cool it is that you're able to just jump back into the puzzle if you fail.
+ The bonus puzzles offer a nice bit of extra content for those who finish the core puzzles.
+ This game is a total steal at $5.99.

Cons:
- The menus and button choices do seem a bit odd at first, but it's nothing you won't get used to.
- At just 50 puzzles total, there isn't exactly a ton of content here. I also don't think many (any?) of them have multiple solutions.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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