Semblance review: A short and sweet puzzle platformer game from South Africa

With countless puzzle platforms already available and more floods in every day, you have to do something really special to stand out, and likelihood is doing just that.

Billed as a "playdough platform game" by some resides in the fact that the Squish player's environment and character are both malleable and can be deformed according to your needs.

As you will see in the teaser below, Squish can jump into some parts of the environment to change shape. how you can interact with it. Need to overcome a few spikes? Just create safe hills to jump over. Do you want to avoid a flying enemy? Ground book until you've made yourself a safe little safe.

Although these two are rather simple, Semblance will slowly introduce more complex puzzles where you will need to use these abilities in an interesting way. Climbing on a steep surface, for example, requires crushing into a large pillar until it becomes a ladder with pop marks that you can climb.

In addition to being an interesting way to get around, it's an endless experience. Experiencing how you can reshape the world is a game in itself, and puzzles are designed in such a way that you can not abuse the system unexpectedly.

When we played for the first time at the beginning of the game years ago, we were worried that this system could be cheesed, allowing you to solve puzzles in an unexpected and easier way.

After completing the game, we only managed to do it once among dozens of puzzles.

Aside from the simple remodeling of the platforms, there are many additional elements that prevent the likelihood of growing.

Look beyond standard spikes and enemies. of light that will make the environment to its original state. These can then be used to pull turns like turning a thin platform into a trampoline – the light beam engages when they collide, sending Squish flying through the air.

And Squish can be changed too. By using special walls, this character can change his form into one of the other two forms. There is a big, slim, pole-like shape that gives you huge jump height but little or no horizontal movement speed.

Then, at the other end of the scale, Squish can be flattened into a Frisbee crepe and wedge under the low walls in exchange for a now tiny jump. Like the environment, being hit by a ray resets the character to its original, rounded form.

All this results in an experience that is more than the sum of its parts. We suspected that these ideas would become boring quickly, but that will never happen.

While other mechanisms are introduced, the riddles must be solved accordingly, and you'll want to come back to see what the next has to offer

Semblance is launching on PC and Switch, the latter being where we spent our time. As the game is more casual, with shorter puzzles, it was a good choice for the wearable system and needed to have a few minutes of play while you stand in line or wait for transport in common.

access can be a point of friction for puzzle game veterans looking for a challenge. While we admit that rabies leaves one or two puzzles and comes back later, nothing seems impossible here. Partly because of the complexity of the puzzles, but also subtle encouragement of the game by throwing a few balls of softball when new ways of playing are unlocked.

Unfortunately, going from one to the other can be a chore. There is no level selection screen to navigate here, replaced by a single large plain that you can move freely.

The trees you see in much of the game's work each represent a level. After going through a portal in their center, you will need to solve a puzzle collection unlocking orbs at the end of each one of them. Finish all the puzzles and the tree will turn on signaling your victory.

Moving between trees can be a chore, though, because you can easily miss them. Jumping into the wrong portals while trying to find that missing orb can be frustrating too.

The rest of the game is, however, very soothing. The aesthetics here are inviting, and it goes well with the appropriate music and sound effects.

Those who want to know more about the world of likeness can look for the story, which is described in murals hidden around the levels.

These can be hunted with secondary objectives in the form of enemies (which are collected as orbs) and sinister symbols that light up when you find them. Look for them as attenuated outlines on some trees.

This extra content may be something that will interest a lot given the short length of this game. We finished the main game with some optional unlocking in just over five hours.

Although we do not have to debate hours of play versus price, we talk about it because we wanted to play more.

While the final level has a finality of purpose, when the credits began to roll, we were a little shocked. We wanted to play more and even have some preconceived ideas about future puzzles, but they never came.

That aside, Semblance always receives a very high recommendation from us, even for people who usually avoid this type of play. It's endless endearing, a joy to play, and a shining example for the games made in South Africa.