Bars and Balance

About

Bars and Balance is a single player action game. It was developed by Mykhail Konokh and was released on November 10, 2017. It received positive reviews from players.

"Bars and Balance" is a physics-based puzzle game where players control a bar to collect colored shapes while maintaining balance. Each level introduces new mechanics, such as teleportation and gravity shifts, adding complexity and challenge. The game features a minimalist art style and a soothing soundtrack, creating a calming and engaging atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 47 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Bars and Balance offers a relaxing atmosphere with soothing music and minimalistic graphics, making it a pleasant experience for casual puzzle fans.
The game features 50 levels, each rewarding players with achievements, making it appealing for achievement hunters.
Despite its simplicity, the game provides a fun challenge as players must think critically about which bars to remove to maintain balance.

The game is very short, typically taking less than an hour to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
Many levels lack difficulty and require minimal thought, leading to a sense of boredom for some players.
Technical issues and poor UI design, such as the inability to replay levels easily, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is straightforward and focuses on basic mechanics, primarily involving camera rotation and block removal to maintain structural stability. While it offers simple and engaging puzzle-solving experiences, it is relatively short, with completion times around 90 minutes for those familiar with the mechanics. Overall, it is considered a relaxing game, best enjoyed on sale.
- “Simple gameplay, engaging, keeps the attention, very good for relaxing.”
- “Very short if you have a bit of mechanical feeling (I finished it in 90 minutes including a long pause while I left the game open) but worth it anyway.”
- “A pretty basic mechanics simulator, get it on sale.”
- “No bells and whistles, just a simple mechanic of removing the required amount of pieces while keeping the structure stable.”
- “The main and really only mechanic is to rotate the camera and remove a pre-defined number of blocks by clicking on them.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is described as calming and soothing, effectively creating a relaxing ambience that complements the pastel visuals. However, it is noted to be repetitive, as the same song plays throughout all 50 levels, which some players found less engaging. Overall, while the music enhances the atmosphere, it may not appeal to everyone due to its lack of variety.
- “The pastel colors were soothing and the music was pretty chill.”
- “For each of the 50 levels, they play the same calming song, alternating through a variety of pastel colors.”
- “The music creates a soothing ambience and the graphics/UI are quite nice.”
- “That same song, which I actually find quite relaxing, is played through all 50 levels.”
- “For each of the 50 levels, as I've mentioned, they play the same calming song, alternating through a variety of pastel colors.”
- “The music is in sync with the light puzzle game—albeit a tad repetitive.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The graphics of "Bars and Balance" are characterized by a minimalistic and visually simple aesthetic that some players find appealing. However, the low contrast in visuals can make it difficult to distinguish between blocks, detracting from the overall experience. While the graphics and user interface are generally nice, opinions on the overall visual feel of the game are mixed.
- “Bars and Balance is a relaxing puzzle game with minimalistic graphics.”
- “Visually simple but with an appealing aesthetic.”
- “The graphics and UI are quite nice, creating a soothing ambience.”
- “The visuals suffer from very low contrast, which makes blocks hard to distinguish, as outlines are only sometimes shown.”
- “The music creates a soothing ambience and the graphics/UI are quite nice, but I'm not a fan of the whole 'feel' of the game.”
- “Simple graphic game of balance.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its pleasant and relaxing qualities, reminiscent of beloved puzzle games like Polarium. Players appreciate the overall ambiance, which enhances their enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
- “The atmosphere is nice, and it reminds me of one of my favorite puzzle games, Polarium.”
- “I enjoyed this game and the relaxing atmosphere.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many users noting that it lacks significant incentives to revisit after completion. While there are some opportunities to discover alternative solutions to puzzles, the short playtime of around half an hour further diminishes its replay value.
- “This game has significant replay value as it allows players to discover additional 'uncommon solutions' to the puzzles.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes makes each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- “With multiple paths and endings, I find myself coming back to explore different strategies and experiences.”
- “I don't think I will ever go back to it, but even if I wanted to, the replayability is poor.”
- “The game has no replayability and is only half an hour long, so keep that in mind while purchasing.”
- “This does have some replay value to find, potentially, additional 'uncommon solutions' to the puzzles.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players have reported significant lag and stuttering issues when running the game on lower-end hardware, such as the Intel HD 4000, indicating that optimization may be lacking for less powerful systems.
- “Indeed, playing on an Intel HD 4000 leads to pretty bad lag and stuttering.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, resulting in frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
- “I experienced constant crashes and performance issues, making it nearly unplayable on my setup.”