Ichi

About

Ichi 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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 342 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

story2 negative mentions

Ichi is a simple yet fun puzzle game that offers a unique gameplay experience with its one-button mechanics.
The game features a level editor and a vast number of user-created levels, providing nearly endless replayability.
Many players find the game relaxing and enjoyable, with a charming art style and pleasant music.

The online features and user-created levels are no longer accessible due to server shutdowns, significantly reducing the game's content.
The controls can be frustrating, especially for a game that relies on precise timing, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
The game is criticized for its lack of challenging puzzles, with many levels being too easy and repetitive.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by its minimalist mechanics, primarily utilizing a single button, which can lead to both engaging and frustrating experiences. While the game offers 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, potentially leading to boredom. Overall, it provides a relaxing yet challenging puzzle experience, appealing to those who enjoy thoughtful gameplay.
- “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 - which is about navigating a ball through a level by changing the objects in it to collect all of the golden rings - 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.”
- “However, I found the actual gameplay to be frustrating rather than relaxing... and when I'm looking for a puzzle game, I'm looking to exercise my mind, not my muscle memory.”
- “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.”
- “New mechanics are introduced very slowly; I don't need 10 levels to master the ability to rotate triangles.”
music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
56%
15%
The music in the game is described as relaxing and upbeat, contributing positively to the overall experience, though it tends to become repetitive quickly. While some players appreciate the soundtrack's charm and find it enjoyable, others feel it detracts from gameplay and prefer to mute it. Overall, the music is seen as a mixed bag, with a few standout pieces but limited variety.
- “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; there's not really much to say about that: the music, though, can really get repetitive and boring after a moment.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, crayon-like aesthetic that many players find charming and cute, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. While some appreciate the unique art style and coherent design, 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.”
- “Worse, maybe you overlooked something, and need to make a minor change to the sequence in which you collect the circles - so you must start again, and crawl your way along the same path again... 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.”
- “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.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The game offers nearly endless replayability, primarily due to community-created levels and a robust level editor that encourages creative freedom. However, there are concerns about potential misuse of the level-uploading feature, which could undermine the experience if not properly managed by the developers.
- “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 make sure that players cannot just upload an empty level for the purpose of getting an achievement.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The story aspect is characterized by a strong moral about perseverance and the unpredictability of life, suggesting that while there may not be a traditional narrative, the underlying message is impactful. Some users feel that the absence of a conventional story is justified, emphasizing the importance of personal growth and resilience instead.
- “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.”
- “Understandably, there is no story, and there is no need for one.”
- “Understandably, there is no story, and there is no need for one.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is seen as a double-edged sword; while it introduces a cool feature, it often leads players to create low-quality levels in pursuit of achievement milestones. This grindy nature encourages quantity over quality, 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.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game to be engaging and entertaining, enhancing the overall experience despite the challenge of some levels. The combination of user-created content adds to the fun, making it a delightful time-waster.
- “This nice puzzle game is really funny and entertaining - it's an excellent time waster, although many levels can actually be really difficult!”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have stability issues, with users noting that it is somewhat buggy.
- “The only issue I have with it is that it's a bit buggy.”