This really warmed me up. Love the isometric spin on the classic Mario & Wario formula (also reminded me occasionally of Chu Chu Rocket, with the way Bob's paths were readable through his footprints). I'll forever be a big fan of games where you are controlling someone who is trying to control something else; I like the friction in the design of games that do it right, and I even love the ambition of the games that don't quite do it right. It's a great gimmick.
I appreciated the aesthetic of the game - it's really funny that, in spite of not very many games leaning heavily on archetypal surrealist imagery (Dali/Magritte/Chirico/Escher etc) I always have this weird feeling that it's a worn-out cliche. It's really not! Apart from a few noteworthy examples, there aren't a tonne of games explicitly referencing that art style. I think there's a nice combination of sincere love and more tongue-in-cheek reference in Back To Bed, especially with the use of the apple as the blockade. The character design is great too, more games with quadrupedal player characters!
Another thing I loved was the modularity of the solutions. I never felt like there was a "right" way to complete any level, and on several occasions I clutched my way into a success in a way that felt really satisfying in its messiness.
The music is perfectly ambient, something that I'm beginning to appreciate a lot more as I continue my dive into the puzzle games in the Ukraine bundle.
Four stars because a couple of minor interface issues were a bit of a pain to me, and while the short length kept me from getting sick of it, I felt like there was more ground to cover and I would have liked a couple more levels.
Really nice!
I appreciated the aesthetic of the game - it's really funny that, in spite of not very many games leaning heavily on archetypal surrealist imagery (Dali/Magritte/Chirico/Escher etc) I always have this weird feeling that it's a worn-out cliche. It's really not! Apart from a few noteworthy examples, there aren't a tonne of games explicitly referencing that art style. I think there's a nice combination of sincere love and more tongue-in-cheek reference in Back To Bed, especially with the use of the apple as the blockade. The character design is great too, more games with quadrupedal player characters!
Another thing I loved was the modularity of the solutions. I never felt like there was a "right" way to complete any level, and on several occasions I clutched my way into a success in a way that felt really satisfying in its messiness.
The music is perfectly ambient, something that I'm beginning to appreciate a lot more as I continue my dive into the puzzle games in the Ukraine bundle.
Four stars because a couple of minor interface issues were a bit of a pain to me, and while the short length kept me from getting sick of it, I felt like there was more ground to cover and I would have liked a couple more levels.
Really nice!