Candle Prick

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews

atmosphere4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features fun and challenging sokoban-style puzzles that encourage critical thinking.
The mechanics are intriguing and have the potential for a larger, more polished release in the future.
The level design is generally good, with a satisfying difficulty curve that keeps players engaged.

The graphics and art style are poorly executed, making it difficult to read and enjoy the gameplay.
Many levels feel like filler or explicit tutorials, lacking the depth and exploration expected from a puzzle game.
The sound design is distracting, with a short music loop that interrupts the player's ability to think and strategize.

gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by charming sokoban-style puzzles that feature original mechanics, providing a satisfying yet accessible challenge. While some players feel the intriguing mechanics are underutilized due to the game's limited scope, others appreciate the clever design and engaging problem-solving elements that encourage deeper thinking. Overall, the game is praised for its completeness and effective iteration on its core mechanics, despite some concerns about its brevity.
- “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.”
- “I had to mute the game after 15 minutes of gameplay, unfortunately.”
- “Neat sokoban-style puzzles with an original mechanic!”
- “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.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
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, making navigation difficult. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant drawback that overshadows the otherwise decent puzzle mechanics.
- “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.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in this game has been criticized for being a very short loop that is intrusive, hindering players' ability to concentrate on solving puzzles. In contrast to other puzzle and sandbox games that feature non-intrusive or atmospheric sounds, this game's soundtrack detracts from the overall experience.
- “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.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the game's atmospheric design but criticize it for sacrificing visibility and gameplay clarity for aesthetics. They suggest that effective atmosphere can be achieved through non-intrusive music and ambient sounds, as seen in other successful puzzle and sandbox games. Overall, while the intention for an immersive atmosphere is noted, it may need to be balanced with gameplay functionality.
- “When you look at other puzzle games like Baba Is You, The 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.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that while challenging levels can enhance gameplay, overly complex designs without fresh ideas can lead to tedious grinding. Levels that are difficult yet straightforward tend to be more engaging, whereas those that drag on without innovation can detract from the overall experience.
- “The levels that took longest to solve were really tedious, even though the solution was obvious.”
- “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 hard.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story centers around Wispy the Great, a candle characterized as a burning warrior who wields a mighty spear and embarks on a quest to solve puzzles. The narrative emphasizes themes of bravery and adventure through the unique perspective of a candle protagonist.
- “This is a story of a candle named Wispy the Great, the burning warrior who shines within, wielding his mighty spear and solving puzzles.”