hocus.

About hocus.

hocus. is a single player casual puzzle game. It received positive reviews from players.

perspective illusion puzzle based on M.C. Escher drawings and impossible shapes

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

89%Audience ScoreBased on 980 reviews

monetization81 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Unique and innovative puzzle concept inspired by MC Escher, providing a mind-bending, relaxing, and challenging experience.
No ads and straightforward gameplay focused on brain stimulation and spatial reasoning.
Includes level editor and ability to create and share custom puzzles, adding replayability.

Only 40 levels are free; remaining 80 levels and endless mode require payment, which some players find frustrating or restrictive.
Some users report controls can be clunky or unresponsive, making movement occasionally difficult.
Lack of game progress cloud saving and occasional bugs reported with endless mode and user-created level sharing.

monetization
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55% positive mentions, 5% neutral mentions, 40% negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its ad-free experience, offering uninterrupted and enjoyable gameplay without annoying advertisements or aggressive monetization tactics. Players appreciate the fair model of providing 40 free levels with no ads, followed by a modest fee to unlock additional content, making for a refreshing and affordable puzzle experience. Overall, the clean monetization approach enhances immersion and user satisfaction in a mobile market saturated with intrusive ads and microtransactions.
- “In an age where every game hits you with ads per level, fake currency, and daily login gimmicks, it is truly refreshing to have a pure, fun, no distractions puzzle game.”
- “No ads, no constantly bilking you for gems, no ramping the difficulty to the point where you have to buy upgrades to continue, just 40 levels and a modest fee for the remaining 70 if you like the game. It's really refreshing to see this in this day and age.”
- “A simple block game that literally teleports your brain to the 4th dimension. The game feels more like a work of art than a puzzle. The fact that there are no ads brings the immersion up very nicely. I haven't reached the paywall level yet but I hope the developer sticks to making a good game and I'll be happy to support more quality physics-defying games.”
- “Still good, but in-app purchases suck in good games.”
- “But I wish you could play the premium levels by watching ads; Google doesn't allow payments in some parts of the world, so I can't buy the levels even if I wanted to.”
- “I understand the developers need money for that, but I think they already earn just enough from the mass of ads.”
music
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The game's music is widely praised for its calming, relaxing, and soothing qualities, often described as zen-like with wind chimes and gentle ambient tones that enhance the puzzle-solving experience. However, some users find the soundtrack a bit limited or generic, and there are recurring complaints about a bug causing the music to continue playing in the background even after exiting the game, with requests for in-game volume control or alternative music options. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's serene and elegant atmosphere.
- “The music is relaxing with the beautiful sound of wind chimes and gentle notes to calm you while you work your way through progressively harder puzzles.”
- “Great puzzles with such a wonderfully relaxing soundtrack.”
- “The music is very calming.”
- “The music from this app terrifies me; it continues to play even after I have left the app.”
- “Music continues after leaving app; have to force quit to stop it.”
- “It's a really interesting game I got to level 20, but because of how the music was playing randomly when I wasn't playing the app and it was closed out, the puzzles are fun but the tune/music part is why I chose to uninstall it.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 52% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The graphics are consistently praised for their simple, minimalist, and elegant Escher-inspired art style, featuring smooth animations and soothing visual aesthetics that complement the calming soundtrack. While not flashy or highly detailed, the visuals effectively enhance the mind-bending puzzle experience, though some users wished for more 3D effects or graphical options like a dark mode. Overall, the clean and clever design is considered a key strength that creates a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere.
- “The art style is simple and effective with very smooth animation on the red block, which (aside from the end point/goal) is the only color you will see in the game.”
- “The graphics are great and the animations are smooth.”
- “Simple clean design, clever use of Escher-type 'impossible' graphics, and highly addictive.”
- “Like to see something more done with 3D effect and graphics of the actual puzzle/maze, so much more could be done on that front.”
- “The graphics aren't anything to gawk at, it's just some rectangles and a red box.”
- “The graphics are pretty simple; it could be done better though.”
gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its smooth, simple, and engaging puzzle mechanics centered on impossible geometry and minimalistic design, delivering a relaxing yet challenging experience. Players appreciate the well-executed difficulty progression and unique visual illusions, though some wish for additional mechanics and more free levels to prevent repetition. Overall, it offers a high-quality, immersive puzzle experience with great controls, music, and no intrusive ads.
- “Great game mechanics especially the impossible geometry, but there's only 40 free levels — there are 70 extra ones but you'll have to pay if you want to play them.”
- “The core gameplay and difficulty were executed very well.”
- “Amazing little game with huge gameplay as there are many levels of what is essentially a zen koan of geometric space on your device.”
- “But this game needs to introduce more mechanics so it doesn't feel repetitive.”
- “You could have added other mechanics like teleport, levers, multiple cubes, etc.”
- “Very nice puzzler, but a bit of a one trick pony--once you learn the mechanic, nothing builds upon it.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game generally runs smoothly with few bugs or glitches, though users report occasional issues such as freezing when clicking the infinity button and music sometimes looping on the home screen. Controls can be buggy at times, but overall stability is decent.
- “Also, when I click the infinity button on the main menu, the game freezes. I don't know what lies beyond that.”
- “Sometimes it glitches and makes the music stay on the home screen, so you just hear relaxing music.”
- “It is a really cool game, but the controls are sometimes buggy.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions
The atmosphere is praised for its minimalistic yet immersive design, with well-matched music and visuals that create a unique, captivating experience. The 2D flat-based perspective challenges player perception, enhancing the overall mood. Additional modes further enrich the sublime ambiance.
- “The graphics are very nice and minimalistic, and the music fits very well with the atmosphere!”
- “The edit and infinity modes are wonderful additions, and the atmosphere is sublime.”
- “Amazing concept, visuals, soundtrack, and overall atmosphere.”
- “Very minimal atmosphere; it's flat-based (2D, not 3D), which challenges your perception of how to navigate the cube on whichever side or plane you are on to reach the exit square.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 67% negative mentions
The story aspect receives mixed feedback, with some users appreciating a story-driven experience, while others note a lack of narrative entirely. Many highlight minimal or no story presence, focusing more on gameplay or puzzle creation features instead.
- “And definitely no story.”
- “Not even close to Monument Valley, I solved 20 levels in hardly 10 minutes, no story, no actual puzzle, infinite level does not seem to work, I see only white screen with black dot in middle, the level creator is more difficult than the game itself.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability with a substantial number of levels and the added feature of creating and sharing custom stages, significantly enhancing its long-term appeal.
- “It has a good number of levels and you can even create and share your own stages, which gives this game a whole new level of replayability.”
- “Great replayability.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is not intended to be humorous and generally lacks comedic elements, focusing instead on providing a challenging experience.
- “Funny thing.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users highlight the game's strong emotional impact, emphasizing that it engages their feelings more than intellectual reasoning, creating a heartfelt and meaningful experience.
- “Now... I talked to my doctor, psychotherapist, about this little game, and she pointed out to me that the emotional quotient is being used at this time and the intellectual quotient is not so, she said.”
- “Heartfelt thank you.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game generally runs smoothly and is well-optimized, providing a good gameplay experience, though the puzzle editor has some issues that affect its functionality.
- “This game is irritating and amazing at the same time. I love the idea that you can create your own puzzles. The game runs smoothly.”
- “Good gameplay, runs smoothly; however, the editor is broken.”