Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
- July 25, 2024
- Furniture & Mattress LLC
- 6h median play time
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is an engaging puzzle game full of heart, charm and a whole lot of variety.
Get on Steam"Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure" is a game featuring Jemma, a small-town misfit on a journey of self-discovery in a world ruled by fear and a 'static' force. Gameplay occurs on a unique, interconnected grid, combining movement, exploration, and combat, with elements of puzzle-solving as you loop around the edges of the grid. This is a story-driven RPG without traditional XP or inventory management, focusing on an engaging narrative and strategic, thoughtful puzzles.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Arranger features charming visuals and a delightful art style that enhances the overall experience.
- The puzzle mechanics are innovative and engaging, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
- The game combines a lighthearted story with clever gameplay, making it a fun and enjoyable experience for players of all ages.
- The game is relatively short, with many players feeling it lacks depth and complexity in its puzzles.
- Dialogue can be overly verbose and detracts from the pacing of the game, making some interactions feel tedious.
- While the puzzles are enjoyable, they may not provide enough challenge for experienced puzzle gamers, leaving them wanting more.
- story138 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its lighthearted, whimsical nature and charming art, while others criticize it for being shallow, anticlimactic, and overly simplistic. Many found the dialogue tedious and the themes, such as isolation and social media, to be underdeveloped or cliché. Overall, while the story adds a pleasant backdrop to the gameplay, it often fails to engage players deeply, leading to a range of opinions on its effectiveness.
“The lush and breezy artwork and cheerful, self-aware storytelling carry it through its roughly 5-6 hour runtime.”
“Absolutely charming game, with a meaningful story that also gives a lot of laughs, as well as a puzzle system that adds on plenty of very interesting new mechanics as the game goes on.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of story, characters, art, and puzzles on display.”
“The story begins with delicious mystery, but the conclusion (and final fight) felt anticlimactic and a bit shallow.”
“Though I'm a fan of story-heavy games, I found the dialogue to be deeply tedious.”
“After the game's second town, which was a paper-thin cringe-inducing allegory for social media (complete with robotic 'blue birds' that deliver letters for people who never go outside), I decided that I couldn't care less about how the story went and began mashing through every NPC interaction and piece of dialogue from that point onward until the end of the game.”
- gameplay122 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its innovative and engaging puzzle mechanics, particularly the shifting tiles, which are easy to grasp yet layered enough to provide depth. While the game introduces new mechanics at a satisfying pace, some players feel that these mechanics lack exploration and do not build upon each other, resulting in a somewhat shallow experience. Overall, the charming visuals and cohesive integration of gameplay with narrative contribute to a delightful, if not overly challenging, puzzling adventure.
“The puzzles are incredible, the mechanic had so much to explore, and it felt amazing to play.”
“The simple, yet versatile puzzle mechanic (shifting tiles) felt fresh and easy to catch onto.”
“The gameplay is an innovative delight to the puzzle genre.”
“No mechanic really built upon what happened before, so there wasn't an interesting mechanical arc, culminating in something really special.”
“Although the puzzles can sometimes be clever, the game doesn't explore its mechanics in any real depth.”
“I'd say some of the additional mechanics were probably not necessary, and it feels like there's too many of them, while most are underexplored and are never used together.”
- music48 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its beauty and charm, often comparing it to the works of artists like Michael Hedges and Willy Porter. The soundtrack is described as soothing and engaging, enhancing the overall experience of the game alongside its stunning art style. Overall, the combination of delightful music and sound design significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature for players.
“Music was superb, and reminded me of Michael Hedges or Willy Porter.”
“One of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful games I've ever looked at, with great sound design, music, and an extremely catchy puzzle mechanic that hooked me immediately.”
“I skipped most of the dialogue, focusing instead on the pretty colors and soothing music.”
“Buy it for the soundtrack alone—you deserve a game that doesn’t make you question your life choices!”
“Cute story, tricky but not brain-bending puzzles, but its art and music that clearly stands out here.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, charming visuals, and cohesive design that perfectly complements the narrative and gameplay. Reviewers highlight the lush, colorful artwork and whimsical aesthetics, which create a cozy and engaging atmosphere, making it a delightful experience for players. Overall, the visuals are described as beautiful and innovative, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The art style was not only gorgeous, but matched the tone perfectly and made for a cute, cozy, and varied land to explore.”
“The art direction is stunning, with soft colors and charming visuals that make you forget you’re supposed to be stressed about real life.”
“An absolutely stunning art style and it's charming all the way through.”
“The music and artwork are charming, and I generally liked the characters, albeit the writing is fairly simple.”
“Charming graphics and music, and a central mechanic I haven't seen before.”
“On the other hand, the visuals are charming and the quippy, whimsical style, which could easily have been cringe, lands well thanks to solid writing.”
- humor15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a surprisingly effective blend of humor, with funny characters and clever dialogue that enhance its charm, even if comedy isn't its main focus. The self-aware, millennial humor may appeal to some while feeling cringe-worthy to others, but overall, it is well-written and lighthearted, contributing to a heartwarming experience. Players appreciate the balance of humor with engaging puzzle design and beautiful art.
“It's a funny game, even if comedy isn't its primary goal.”
“Funny, charming, and the perfect amount of challenge.”
“Beautiful art, funny characters, clever puzzle design.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the games reviewed is characterized by a blend of wholesome storytelling and humor, with some players appreciating the heartwarming narratives while others criticize the overly simplistic and self-consciously wholesome approach. Notably, titles like "Arranger" and "Furniture & Mattress" successfully combine engaging gameplay with inclusive and touching stories, enhancing the overall emotional experience.
“In most games of this type it could be a nuisance, but in Arranger, it's pretty well written and lightheartedly funny and heartwarming.”
“By interweaving a heartwarming and inclusive story with addictive gameplay, Furniture & Mattress teaches us that puzzle games can be more than just a vehicle for making the cogs in your brain turn.”
“[Simple, intuitive, addictive puzzling, brisk pace and never outstays its welcome, lovely hand-drawn visuals, hilarious dialogue, and a heartwarming story.]”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game, particularly the dialogue, to be tedious and overly lengthy, detracting from the overall experience despite their appreciation for story-driven content.
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its diverse and inclusive designs, showcasing a wide variety of body types and meticulous attention to detail in the artwork. This thoughtful approach enhances the overall depth and relatability of the characters.
“The character designs feature a vast array of body types; the artists took great care to explore the tiniest details in their art.”
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
“Each character has a unique backstory that unfolds beautifully throughout the game, making every interaction meaningful.”
Critic Reviews
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure Review – A beautifully pieced together game
Players who enjoy casual puzzle titles are sure to find something to love in Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. With its beautifully hand-drawn world and original puzzle mechanics, Arranger offers a compelling story world with engaging puzzles that are great for puzzle fans, both young and old. The world’s grid system creates a novel way to interact with engaging puzzles while also expanding on the story world. If you’re looking for a hardcore puzzle challenge, Arranger might not be for you, however, if you’re looking for a casual experience with colourful graphics to boot, Arranger will be a great fit for your library.
80%Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure Review – The Good Kind Of Sliding Block Puzzle
Arranger takes a type of game puzzle that is often irritating and turns it into something pretty cool – even if some of that frustration remains. It's absolutely gorgeous and full of interesting mechanical ideas, and though its core premise isn't the most exciting, it makes a strong argument for its own existence.
75%Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure review
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is an engaging puzzle game full of heart, charm and a whole lot of variety.
90%
