Hexa Turn
- February 26, 2018
- Abdullah Firat
Hexa Turn is a turn-based puzzle game where players rotate hexagonal tiles to create matches and clear the board. With increasing difficulty levels and a limited number of moves, players must plan ahead to achieve high scores and progress through the game's many levels. Featuring simple mechanics and a charming minimalistic design, Hexa Turn provides a fun and challenging experience for players of all ages.
Reviews
- Hexa Turn features a clever and unique puzzle mechanic that combines turn-based strategy with territory defense, providing a satisfying challenge across 96 well-designed levels.
- The game has a smooth difficulty progression, introducing new mechanics at a steady pace, which keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging without overwhelming players.
- Its minimalist art style and relaxing gameplay make it an enjoyable experience, appealing to puzzle enthusiasts looking for a casual yet thought-provoking game.
- The AI behavior can be inconsistent and nondeterministic, leading to confusion in puzzle solutions and making some levels feel solvable by luck rather than strategy.
- Some mechanics, such as the 'bait' system, are poorly explained, resulting in frustration when players cannot predict the AI's actions, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The game is relatively short, and certain achievements require unnecessary grinding, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied after completing the main content.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around a turn-based mechanic where players defend a goal square from an enemy triangle on a hexagonal grid by strategically placing blocks. While the introduction of new mechanics keeps the experience engaging and levels are well-designed, some players note inconsistencies in enemy behavior and a lack of clarity in certain mechanics, such as the "bait" feature. Overall, the game offers a solid and challenging puzzle experience, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its trial-and-error nature and occasional implementation issues.
“The core mechanic is a turn-based process where you attempt to defend a goal square from an enemy triangle, which moves one square per move on a hexagonal grid, by placing black hexagons to block its path.”
“Every chapter has its own new mechanic, and you can play it with previous mechanics. It’s not only a good way to review all mechanics but also the key to keeping players' enthusiasm from start to end.”
“Level design is very clean and clever, new mechanics come at a steady pace, and the difficulty is well-balanced.”
“I hesitate to recommend it to a wider audience due to conceptual inconsistencies with the game's mechanics, which I will explain below.”
“In summary, the mechanics are underspecified, leading to inconsistent enemy behavior.”
“The 'bait' mechanic isn't clear how it works, as you can't predict if the triangles will take it or not.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its immersive quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly in puzzle games where it complements the minimalistic art style. While many players appreciate the variety and charm of the music, some find it less appealing, describing it as ambient noise rather than engaging melodies. Overall, the sound effects are well-received, but opinions on the music itself are mixed.
“Immersive music and minimalistic art style create a wonderful vibe.”
“I'm happy to see more and more puzzle games featuring their own music that is increasingly varied, immersive, and charming.”
“Colors in games would lose half their soul without suitable music and audio; this is a fitting description.”
“The sound effects are good, but I was not a fan of the music, which I would describe as ambient noise.”
“Colors in games will be lost half of their soul without suitable music and audio; it's suitable to describe it.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a bold and minimalistic art style that enhances the overall experience, providing clarity in directions and objectives. While some users find the visuals simple and not particularly impressive, they appreciate the functional design and immersive quality that complements the gameplay.
“The art style is bold and minimalist, yet directions and objectives are crystal clear.”
“The graphics are nothing to write home about, but they are functional and have a certain minimalist appeal.”
“The graphics are very simple like many minimalistic games, but that is fine.”
“The art style is bold and minimalist yet directions and objectives are crystal clear.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability typical of many indie puzzle titles, yet its strong gameplay and unique concept provide significant value. Players find the pricing reasonable for the content available, making it a worthwhile purchase, especially during sales.
“The price is adequate for the amount of content and replayability; great even if you buy on sale.”
“There is, like many other outstanding indie puzzle games, limited replayability, but the game's value is still outstanding due to the strength of gameplay allied to the uniqueness of the concept.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly regarding the requirement to turn 1000 hexagons for a final achievement. This feels unnecessary in a short puzzle game that lacks randomly generated content to extend gameplay after completion.
“I also don't like that I finished the game and 95% of the achievements with a little less than 700 hexes turned, leaving me with a bit of grinding old levels to get to 1000 for the last achievement.”
“I don't care a great deal about achievements, but for a short puzzle game with no randomly generated puzzles to keep completing after the main game, I was surprised that there was an achievement that required some grinding to complete (reaching 1000 hexagons turned).”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's stability is reinforced by a structured progression system, where levels unlock sequentially, allowing players to gradually adapt to new mechanics and challenges. Bonus abilities are available to help players navigate difficult sections, ensuring that they are less likely to become stuck. Overall, the game maintains a stable experience despite the introduction of complex elements.
“The game frequently crashes, making it frustrating to progress through levels.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted gameplay, causing me to lose my progress.”
“The stability issues are so severe that I often have to restart the game multiple times during a session.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as light and amusing, complementing its puzzle elements, which can occasionally leave players pondering.
“It's a funny little puzzle game that sometimes has you scratching your head.”
“The humor in this game is clever and keeps you entertained throughout.”
“I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and hilarious scenarios.”