Expand
- July 2, 2014
- Chris Johnson
Expand is a triumph of visual design and scoring that also boasts some clever design ideas.
Get on SteamExpand is a meditative video game in which you explore a circular labyrinth that constantly twists, stretches and expands underneath you.
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Reviews
- music159 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
- gameplay93 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- graphics38 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- emotional16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
- story10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Critic Reviews
Expand Review
A unique game that's visually distinctive and at times quite beautiful, but it suffers from a little unevenness in some levels which distract from the meditative experience it has been pitched as.
75%Expand Review
Despite falling on the shorter side of indie titles, Expand manages to stand out as a fascinating take on puzzles and mazes. By relying on a mix of patient gameplay and non-stop movement, each puzzle requires as much thought as it does technical skill. Not every puzzle is a hit, with a few standing out as little more than frustrating, but the majority of the experience is very well done thanks in large part to the colour scheme and soundtrack. Expand would have certainly benefitted from a few more great puzzles to balance out the tedious ones, but it's an overall pleasant experience with a genuinely introspective atmosphere.
70%Expand Review
While it's hard to find anything overtly enjoyable in the experience, Expand never feels like a complete waste of time. It's a tough game to explain on many levels. It's more of a platformer than anything else, or perhaps a puzzle game. It's not horrible, and it's not amazing. It's safe to say many gamers will take a different opinion of it, but it's just too hard to put into words what's missing. It feels like a constant art piece, without words telling how cool it is and how appreciative they should be for playing it. It just never feels like it lives up to its own expectations. Too often, it feels like it's trying to be so much more than it can hope to be.
50%
