Candle Prick
- November 3, 2022
- Moraguma
Candle Prick is a pixelated adventure game centered around stabbing enemies to use as puzzle-solving tools. The game features over 60 challenging levels and 15 unique color palettes. Its simple mechanics gradually evolve into complex scenarios, offering a rewarding experience for those who master its intricacies.
Reviews
- The game features fun and challenging puzzles that can be quite engaging for hardcore puzzle fans.
- It has a solid level design with a good difficulty curve, allowing players to experience a sense of accomplishment.
- The game introduces original mechanics that build on previous puzzles, leading to creative and mind-bending solutions.
- The visuals are poorly designed, making it difficult to read and understand the game, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The sound design is intrusive and distracting, making it hard for players to think and enjoy the puzzle-solving process.
- Many levels feel like filler or explicit tutorials, lacking the depth and challenge expected from a puzzle game.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by charming sokoban-style puzzles that, while on the easier side, effectively utilize original mechanics to create engaging challenges. Players appreciate the game's ability to iterate on its mechanics, providing a satisfying experience despite its short length. However, some feel that the intriguing mechanics could have been explored in a broader scope.
“Neat sokoban-style puzzles with an original mechanic!”
“Very cool, charming, short and sweet sokoban on the easier side of things mechanically yet nonetheless feels complete and iterates on its mechanics really well.”
“Moraguma turned this one idea into a multitude of mechanics that easily get your brain juices flowing, thinking harder than you'd expect from some rather simple looking levels.”
“I had to mute the game after 15 minutes of gameplay, unfortunately.”
“Moraguma turned this one idea into a multitude of mechanics that easily get your brain juices flowing, thinking harder than you'd expect from some rather simple looking levels.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The graphics have been widely criticized for their poor readability and questionable art style, which detracts from the overall experience. While the atmospheric design aims to enhance immersion, it often obscures important elements of the game, leading to frustration among players.
“The puzzles themselves seem decent from the little I've played, but not enough to compensate for the messy visuals.”
“I know that you are going for an atmospheric look, but if I cannot see the whole level for no reason other than aesthetics, you may need to reconsider your choices.”
“Graphics are horrendous in terms of readability.”
“Rather poor choice of art style.”
“I know that you are going for an atmospheric look, but if I cannot see the whole level for no reason other than aesthetics, you may need to reconsider your choices.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in this game has been criticized for being a short, repetitive loop that detracts from the gameplay experience, making it difficult for players to concentrate on solving puzzles. In contrast to other puzzle and sandbox games that utilize non-intrusive or atmospheric sounds, this game's soundtrack is seen as a hindrance rather than an enhancement.
“The music in this game is not only a really short loop, but it also makes it nearly impossible to stop and think about the level.”
“When you look at other puzzle games like Baba Is You, Witness, Talos Principle, Stephen's Sausage Roll, Toki Tori, or even sandbox games like Minecraft or Factorio, you can see that their music is non-intrusive or replaced completely with atmospheric sounds.”
“The music in this game is not only a really short loop, but it also makes it nearly impossible to stop and think about the level.”
“When you look at other puzzle games like Baba Is You, The Witness, The Talos Principle, Stephen's Sausage Roll, Toki Tori, or even sandbox games like Minecraft or Factorio, you can see that their music is non-intrusive or replaced completely with atmospheric sounds.”
“The music in this game is not only a really short loop, but it also makes it nearly impossible to stop and think about the level.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the atmospheric design but express concerns about visibility and gameplay clarity, suggesting that aesthetics should not compromise the player's ability to navigate levels. They also highlight the effectiveness of non-intrusive music and ambient sounds in enhancing the atmosphere, drawing comparisons to other successful puzzle and sandbox games.
“The game masterfully creates an immersive atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you engaged throughout your journey.”
“The sound design is exceptional, with non-intrusive music and atmospheric sounds that enhance the overall experience.”
“The visual aesthetics contribute significantly to the atmosphere, making every level feel unique and captivating.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find that while challenging levels can enhance the experience, overly complex designs without fresh ideas can lead to tedious grinding. Levels that are difficult but lack engaging elements may frustrate players rather than provide a satisfying challenge.
“Your levels need to be hard and interesting, but if you make them too complex without any new ideas, they may be tedious instead of challenging.”
“The levels that took the longest to solve were really tedious, even though the solution was obvious.”
- story1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story follows Wispy the Great, a candle who embodies a burning warrior, as he navigates challenges and solves puzzles with his mighty spear.
“This is a story of a candle named Wispy the Great, the burning warrior who shines within, wielding his mighty spear to solve puzzles.”
“The narrative beautifully intertwines the journey of Wispy with engaging puzzles that challenge the player while deepening the story.”
“The character development in this tale is remarkable, as Wispy evolves from a simple candle into a heroic figure, making the story truly captivating.”