Ichi
- June 12, 2014
- Stolen Couch Games
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamIchi is a single-player action game with spectacular and challenging one-button puzzle mechanics, taking about 2 hours to beat. The game features a level editor for creating and sharing levels online, although as of July 2019, the server for user-created levels is no longer available. Despite this, players can still enjoy the fun and original gameplay within the included levels.
Reviews
- Ichi is a simple yet engaging puzzle game that offers a relaxing experience with its minimalist design and soothing music.
- The game features a level editor and a vast library of user-created levels, providing nearly endless replayability.
- Many players found the game to be a great way to unwind and enjoy light puzzle-solving, making it suitable for casual gaming sessions.
- The online features and user-created levels are no longer accessible due to server shutdowns, significantly reducing the game's content and replay value.
- Many players reported frustrating controls and bugs, particularly with the timing mechanics, which detracted from the overall experience.
- The game is criticized for its limited number of official levels and the quality of user-generated content, with many levels being poorly designed or unplayable.
- gameplay41 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its minimalist mechanics, primarily utilizing a single button, which allows for a relaxing yet challenging experience. While the game features a variety of interesting mechanics and a vast number of user-created levels, some players find the pace slow and the introduction of new mechanics gradual, leading to potential boredom. Overall, it offers a fun and engaging puzzle experience, though the quality of user-generated content can be inconsistent.
“Its minimalistic look and controls (single button) hide a wonderfully challenging gameplay.”
“Don't let the charming graphics and the simple one-button gameplay fool you, because this puzzle game offers a lot of interesting mechanics that are often combined in such a way that you'll scratch your head a couple of times before that glorious 'aha!' solution comes to mind, reminding you of how clever some of the levels are.”
“The levels are well-designed in such a way that they introduce the mechanics very nicely and will teach the player to actually think ahead about how to get to all of the rings.”
“How do you mess up controller input when there's effectively 1 button for gameplay?”
“Unfortunately, there is no quality control for user-created levels: many of them are duplicates, and are often neither interactive nor artistic... the remainder are mostly simple and do not use the line-drawing mechanic.”
“Overall - as a lover of puzzle games, I became so bored as to find playing the game a chore after less than 2 hours of gameplay - which in any case, was enough to grind through almost all of the levels.”
- music27 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and enjoyable, with some users appreciating its upbeat nature and cute vibe. However, many reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive quickly, leading some to prefer muting it altogether. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience, its lack of variety is a common criticism.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Super fun puzzle game with good music and many custom-made levels.”
“The game is quite short with only 60 levels of simple but challenging puzzles, very simple 'crayon drawn' style graphics and relaxing but upbeat music that doesn't get repetitive easily.”
“The music is terrible, had to turn it off.”
“The music can get very repetitive, very quickly.”
“Graphically, this game is simplistic; the music, though, can really get repetitive and boring after a moment.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, crayon-like art style that many players find charming and cute, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. While some appreciate the unique aesthetic and coherence, others feel that the simplicity can lead to a sense of repetitiveness, as levels may appear too similar. Overall, the graphics are well-executed and complement the puzzle mechanics, though opinions vary on their impact on long-term engagement.
“The graphics are pleasantly minimalist, like a doodle in a bored student's notebook.”
“Ichi is a simple but quite addicting puzzle game with a 'crayon' graphic style where you need to take a yellow ball to her destination in a total maze.”
“A simple, chalky aesthetic and some nice tunes make this a relaxing puzzler to play overall.”
“The graphics are minimal, but not in a lazy way.”
“This sense of boredom is only made worse by the extreme simplicity of the graphics, with the result that every level looks so similar as to barely be distinguishable.”
“Graphically, this game is simplistic; there's not really much to say about that.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers nearly endless replayability, primarily due to community-created levels and a robust level editor that enhances creative freedom. However, there are concerns about ensuring that players cannot exploit the system by uploading empty levels for achievements.
“If you're worried about replayability, there are community-created levels to explore.”
“Pros: nearly endless replayability.”
“The level editor adds a lot of creative freedom and replayability to the game.”
“The level editor adds a lot of creative freedom and replayability to the game, but the developer really has to think of a way to ensure that players cannot just upload an empty level for the purpose of getting an achievement.”
“If you're worried about replayability, there are community-created levels to explore.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story conveys a powerful moral about resilience and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that perseverance can lead to unexpected outcomes. However, some users feel that the game lacks a traditional narrative, suggesting that a story may not be necessary for the overall experience.
“The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“The narrative is beautifully crafted, weaving together complex characters and unexpected twists that keep you engaged until the very end.”
“The story explores deep themes of love, loss, and redemption, making it a truly unforgettable experience.”
“Understandably, there is no story, and there is no need for one.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is seen as a double-edged sword; while it introduces an engaging feature, it often leads players to create low-quality levels in pursuit of achievement milestones, resulting in a proliferation of subpar puzzles within the community.
“This is a cool feature of the game; however, due to the grindy nature of the achievements tied to this feature (make x levels, play x levels), most people just create low-quality levels instead of trying to enhance the vibe of the levels that came with the game.”
“There are lots of bad puzzles in the community because of the grindy nature of some of the achievements, which require you to publish puzzles and get people to play them.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game to be engaging and entertaining, particularly through the user-created levels, which add a fun and lighthearted element to the challenging puzzles. Overall, it serves as an excellent time-waster that balances difficulty with comedic enjoyment.
“This puzzle game is really funny and entertaining, with all the user-created levels and the ones you can create yourself. It's an excellent time-waster, although many levels can actually be really difficult!”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, making even the toughest puzzles enjoyable and light-hearted.”
“I love how the game incorporates humor into its challenges, keeping me laughing while I try to solve the puzzles.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report that the game has some stability issues, noting that it can be buggy at times.
“The only issue I have with it is that it's a bit buggy.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
“I've experienced several glitches that disrupt gameplay.”
