Slider

About

Slider is a single player casual puzzle game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by boomo and was released on July 24, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

New, Slider on Steam (or on Itch)!==========A strange artifact allows YOU (yes you!) to control the world itself. You will have to manipulate an ever-growing set of tiles as you explore and solve puzzles on a terrestrial scale. Credits: Daniel Carr, Rithvik Malladi, Max Zhang, Ethan Aristanto, Koushik Thiyagarajan, Kenneth Wang Walkthrough and Devlog:

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 311 reviews

gameplay29 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Innovative and creative puzzle mechanics that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging across multiple unique areas.
High-quality experience for a free game, with charming pixel art, clever writing, and a delightful soundtrack.
Well-polished with a good difficulty curve, providing rewarding challenges and a satisfying sense of progression.

Graphics style may feel too monochrome and lacking in color, making some details hard to see and causing eye strain.
Certain puzzles, especially in later areas, can become overly difficult, obscure, or tedious, sometimes requiring frequent use of guides.
Occasional bugs and interface issues, such as sound cutting out on controller disconnect or softlocks, detract from the experience.

gameplay
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The gameplay centers on a series of innovative sliding tile puzzles across nine distinct areas, each introducing unique mechanics that keep the experience fresh and challenging. While some mechanics can be initially unclear, the puzzles are cleverly designed, rewarding creativity and problem-solving without becoming repetitive. Overall, the game combines inventive puzzle design with satisfying progression, making it engaging and highly praised for its originality.
- “Each of the 9 areas has a unique sliding mechanic (ranging from restrictions to slider movements, to a 3D grid, or 'superimposed' grids).”
- “The puzzles are fun and the different mechanics really creative; really enjoyed how much the different areas slowly built out their interworking mechanics.”
- “This game's core mechanic is the classic tile sliding puzzle, but they have built so many fun things on top of it, like RPG elements, comedy, time manipulation, roguelike mechanics, and many more; it is truly incredible.”
- “You will be doing a lot of trial and error to figure out what mechanics do and don't work.”
- “It's particularly problematic on the maps, which could really use more details considering the main gameplay happens there.”
- “However, for my taste I found that after the first 4 areas the game becomes frustratingly challenging, with very difficult solutions reliant on obscure and poorly explained or emphasised mechanics. The camera's relatively small field of view becomes a problem because you need to string together very long multiple-step solutions that require correctly positioning and shifting elements from all over the map, but you can't view and take in the whole map at once. There is a minimap, but it lacks the detail to function as an overview of the puzzle.”
graphics
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
66%
9%
The game features a charming, primarily grayscale pixel art style with occasional colored highlights, which some find cute and appealing while others view as rudimentary or hard to distinguish. Although simple and somewhat generic, the visuals complement the puzzle mechanics well and contribute to the game's unique atmosphere, though they may not appeal to everyone due to their minimalist and monochrome nature. Overall, the graphics are praised for fitting the game's aesthetic and puzzles, despite some mixed opinions on their clarity and imagination.
- “This features really charming pixel art instead of conventional graphics.”
- “The visuals are essentially grayscale pixel art, with well-placed colored elements that highlight the particularities of each area.”
- “Unique gimmick of sliding world tiles manages to be fresh and unique with each map, and the art style is cute.”
- “Also to me the game's biggest flaw is its graphics.”
- “The rudimentary graphics and black and grey pixel art style are a bit disappointing and make it hard to see what everything’s supposed to be, especially on the map screen and in some of the text, but the game has plenty of charm and some good puzzles as long as you can put up with the sliding tile mechanic.”
- “Also, the graphics/theme are not very imaginative, just generic retro Game Boy.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The story is engaging, lighthearted, and well-integrated with the puzzle mechanics, centering on a quest to find the protagonist’s cat while uncovering twists and world mysteries. While straightforward, it effectively combines humor, adventure, and exploration to keep players hooked throughout the game's various quests. Overall, the narrative enriches the gameplay experience without overshadowing the challenging puzzles.
- “This game is insane. It has an amazing story, good design, and beautiful quality. The game is pixelized puzzle merged with a metroidvania. If you want puzzle, 15 to 20 hours of gameplay, and of course cats, this game is for you.”
- “And I love all the twists and turns over the course of the story; making it seem like the player messed up, but having it actually be the intended way to progress.”
- “The puzzles are seamlessly part of the story, which is fun and lighthearted.”
- “You can have multiple quests at the same time without knowing which one has to be done first.”
- “Being more complex than it would at first seem, it could use a quest log or something like that.”
- “The puzzles get too big; soon you’ll need 10, 20, even 30 minutes of fiddling with the tools at your disposal trying to figure out which quest is doable next and how to solve it.”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its charm, wit, and quirky dialogue, which complements the engaging puzzles and charming pixel art. Players appreciate the funny character interactions and clever writing that enhance the overall experience, making the game both entertaining and memorable despite being free.
- “From just the first few hours, I would have posted a review that said the game is very clever and innovative, charming and stylish with funny writing and good music, and I have no idea how a game of this quality could just be given away for free.”
- “Very funny dialogs, clever puzzles, easy controls, cute graphics and all of these are in a free game!”
- “The pixel art is simple yet charming and it fits very well with the game and its quirky humor and dialogue.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
36%
The music in the game is widely praised for being catchy, pleasant, and fitting well with the game's style and puzzles, often described as retro chiptune with a memorable soundtrack. It enhances the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience, contributing to the game's charm and innovation.
- “The art and music are top notch.”
- “From just the first few hours, I would have posted a review that said the game is very clever and innovative, charming and stylish with funny writing and good music, and I have no idea how a game of this quality could just be given away for free.”
- “The music is very fitting for the game and the effect of moving parts of the map is really good because it actually feels and sounds like large land masses are quickly being moved and slammed into one another.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
Grinding in the game is generally minimal, though some sections become tedious or grindy, especially toward the end or during trial-and-error puzzles. Overall, while a few parts may feel repetitive, most players find the experience engaging and varied.
- “It's a relatively solid puzzle game, but it was a little tedious in bits.”
- “Anyway, apart from the end of the game which becomes a bit tedious at times, the large majority is a very interesting, fun, and varied experience.”
- “A lot of these solutions are found through trial and error, but it can get quite tedious unless you're incredibly patient or a slide puzzle genius.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its wholesome and emotionally engaging experience, offering a creative and varied collection of puzzles and activities that evoke a positive and heartfelt response.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is highlighted by clever dialogue and charming, well-designed characters, adding depth and appeal alongside engaging puzzles.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for being free to play and having no microtransactions, which users appreciate. Players value the developer’s approach to monetization, contributing to a positive overall experience.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well optimized, providing smooth performance alongside a diverse range of puzzle-solving challenges.
- “Well optimized and offers a variety of puzzles to solve.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable but experiences some minor bugs when loading new areas for the first time. Despite these issues, it remains enjoyable and worth playing.