Capsule Review: Empty.
A free, short, and chill perspective-based puzzle game.
(A note on versions - the first version of this game was an entry to 2016’s Ludum Dare 37 game jam. Since then, it’s been polished into a new version available for PC and mobile.)
A minimalist puzzle game with a minimalist art style. The player is shown a room with colored walls and objects. Everything is rendered in a flat-shading style, so rotating the room such that an object is in front of a same-colored wall will make the object effectively invisible - which then removes the object from the room. The player is tasked with emptying out each room completely by rotating the perspective and removing all of the objects.
A few things make the challenge a bit deeper than it may sound - objects can’t be removed if there’s something between them and the wall, and some objects cause walls to change color once they are removed. As a result, many objects can only be removed in certain orders and some reasoning or experimentation is required to find it (though the levels appear to be designed such that you cannot make them unwinnable). Getting the objects to line up perfectly can be slightly fiddly - the flat shading can make it hard to tell if you’ve got a couple dangling pixels - but this only bothered me a couple of times. There are no timers and no failure modes.
Overall, it’s a simple and chill puzzle game. With nineteen levels, it’s short enough that the mechanics don’t wear out their welcome, and the fact that it’s free makes it low-commitment to try out. I played it during the evening after a long day and found it a good way to relax.
I Stopped Playing When: I finished the game and then supported it via donation.
Three Stars: Good. I liked the game enough to finish it (or just play it a bunch, for games that don't end). I recommend it to most genre fans.