Please Fix The Road
- May 7, 2022
- Ariel Jurkowski
- 20h median play time
Please Fix The Road is a colorful, minimalistic, laid-back and casual puzzle game in which it's probably not hard to guess... you're fixing roads! Your road repair doesn't have to be beautiful, it just needs to get the job done!
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and smooth animations, creating a visually pleasing experience.
- Puzzles are cleverly designed with a good balance of challenge, providing satisfying 'Aha!' moments.
- The hint system is helpful, allowing players to progress without feeling overly punished for getting stuck.
- Many puzzles lack clear logic and can feel overly convoluted, leading to frustration.
- The game can become tedious as the difficulty spikes unexpectedly, making it hard to enjoy the experience.
- Some players find the controls and mechanics restrictive, limiting creativity in solving puzzles.
- graphics27 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty, charm, and creative design, contributing to a delightful atmosphere. However, some players find the visuals overly busy or distracting, which can hinder gameplay and make it difficult to interpret important information. Overall, while the aesthetics are appealing, they may detract from the gameplay experience for some users.
“Delightful, challenging puzzle game with beautiful visuals.”
“The graphics are beautiful and the geometric style is so satisfying - especially on level transitions.”
“Amazing art style and creative game design!”
“Way to ruin a good concept with unnecessary graphical choices.”
“The pretty graphics make it hard to distinguish tiles.”
“Graphics are pretty but sometimes too busy, making terrain elevation quite hard to read, which can throw a wrench in your plans.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title features a mix of engaging puzzles and charming graphics, but suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of depth in level progression. While some players appreciate the variety of new mechanics introduced throughout the game, others find the trial-and-error approach frustrating due to limited room for error and cumbersome undo mechanics. Overall, the gameplay offers a blend of challenge and casual enjoyment, appealing to puzzle enthusiasts despite some notable drawbacks.
“The puzzles are hard, cool mechanics, and the levels are beautiful.”
“A puzzle game with great graphics and interesting gameplay.”
“New mechanics are introduced every couple of puzzles, so there's a lot of variety.”
“A level will introduce a new mechanic and give you a pretty simple puzzle to learn it, and then the next 5 levels will be basically the exact same concept without building on it at all.”
“The graphics are charming and the atmosphere is relaxing, but the 'difficult' tag doesn't describe how much of a mess the gameplay feels like.”
“In most puzzles, there is zero room for error or misplacement, and in a game where you have to calculate so far down the line where you're going to put certain blocks, it mystifies me why there aren't other mechanics available where you can quickly swap out blocks to verify and experiment with loose ideas, without needing all the undoing and waiting for animations.”
- music15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and jazzy qualities, enhancing the overall chill experience of the gameplay. Many players appreciate the blend of calming tunes with engaging visuals, although a few note that the soundtrack may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the music complements the game's aesthetic and adds to its enjoyable atmosphere.
“It's a wonderful blend of soothing animations and music, with just the kind of progressively challenging puzzle play I enjoy.”
“Easy to pick up, gives good vibes with a nice jazz soundtrack, and an overall chill game.”
“The very charming dioramas shown in screenshots, jazzy soundtrack that oozes class, and the initial 15 levels of the game hide a very tough, tricky puzzle game.”
“The only downside to this game is the soundtrack, which is terrible, but it's quite easy to play your own music in the background, so this doesn't really affect gameplay at all.”
“Calming music?”
“The very charming dioramas shown in screenshots, jazzy soundtrack that oozes class and initial 15 levels of the game hide a very tough, tricky puzzle game.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a delightful addition that enhances the overall experience, with players finding it both entertaining and lighthearted. Notable moments include amusing developer mistakes and a blend of humor with challenging puzzles, contributing to a fun and relaxing atmosphere.
“Combining great puzzles, nice animation, and good humor.”
“One time I ran into a hilarious, hopefully unintentional mistake by the developer where puzzle 93 was switched around with puzzle 24.”
“It's a fun, relaxing game with just a touch of humor.”
- story2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The story revolves around the theme of repairing roads, but players often feel that their efforts lead to a deterioration of the world rather than improvement. Some users suggest that a reverse narrative, where players start with a damaged environment and work to restore it, might be more satisfying.
“The story takes you on a journey where you start with a beautiful world, but as you progress, you realize the consequences of your actions lead to a more chaotic environment.”
“It would be interesting if the narrative reversed, starting with a chaotic plot that you work to restore to its former glory, reflecting a deeper struggle.”
“The narrative intricately weaves the themes of restoration and destruction, making you reflect on the impact of your choices throughout the game.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent flow, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the plot twists to be predictable and uninspired, which really dampened my interest.”
“The character development is shallow, leaving me unable to connect with anyone in the story.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's charming graphics contribute to a relaxing atmosphere; however, the gameplay is criticized for feeling chaotic, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The graphics are charming, and the atmosphere is relaxing.”
“The graphics are charming and the atmosphere is relaxing, but the 'difficult' tag doesn't accurately describe how messy the gameplay feels.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in this puzzle game enjoyable initially, but it quickly becomes tedious as they progress through the levels.
“A relatively simple puzzle game that is fun at first but then gets rather tedious after a few levels.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users noting that while it runs smoothly on powerful hardware, it can lead to significant CPU temperature spikes, indicating potential inefficiencies in resource management.
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report that the game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, indicating a high level of stability across platforms.
“Runs great on deck too!”
“The game maintains a smooth performance without any noticeable lag.”
“I've experienced minimal crashes, making for a stable gaming experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's balanced level design, noting that it offers sufficient content to provide value without overstaying its welcome, thus avoiding the pitfalls of excessive replayability that can lead to mediocrity.
“The game strikes a perfect balance with just the right amount of levels, allowing you to fully experience everything without falling into the trap of endless replayability that can lead to mediocrity.”
“Each playthrough offers a fresh experience, making it easy to dive back in and discover new strategies and outcomes.”
“The variety of choices and paths ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, keeping the game engaging and worth revisiting.”
“Given how things are going, it feels like the right amount of levels to get your value and really see everything without the game letting the cult of replayability drag on into mediocrity.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return. The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
“The game offers a linear experience with minimal variation in gameplay, which significantly diminishes its replayability. After the first playthrough, there's not much left to discover.”