Splice
- June 13, 2012
- Cipher Prime Studios
Get on Steam"Splice is an experimental puzzle game with a unique concept of rearranging cells into target structures. With over 75 levels, it offers an engaging and artistic puzzler experience, challenging players to visualize sequential shapes and exercise their problem-solving skills. Winning the Best Puzzle Game of the 2011 Intel Level Up contest, Splice immerses players in its microbial world with fabulous visuals and a perfect soundtrack."
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Reviews
- Beautiful visuals and a soothing piano soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere.
- The game offers a unique and challenging puzzle experience that gradually increases in difficulty.
- Engaging gameplay that encourages abstract and spatial thinking, making it a rewarding mental exercise.
- Lack of a tutorial or clear instructions can lead to confusion and frustration for players.
- The game is relatively short, with limited replay value and some puzzles feeling either too simple or overly complex.
- Concerns about data mining and the game's pricing being disproportionate to its content have been raised by players.
- music116 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful piano compositions, creating a relaxing and immersive atmosphere that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often describing it as soothing and hypnotic, although some note that it can become repetitive over extended play. Overall, the music is considered a significant asset, contributing to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
“The music is pretty nice, and the cells have a nice, satisfying wobble.”
“The relaxing and easy to listen to music make it even easier to get lost in the mind-flexing elegance of Splice.”
“The accompanying soundtrack will leave you with a serene feeling of relaxation and most likely give you a new appreciation for the piano.”
“Having to hear the music blasting full volume constantly is lazy software development.”
“Although the music is a very harsh allegro piano solo that ends up being more annoying than soothing.”
“The game has very attractive graphics and an average ambient piano music to complement it.”
- graphics48 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in Splice are widely praised for their minimalistic and smooth aesthetic, creating an immersive experience that complements the gameplay. Players appreciate the sharp visuals and thematic coherence with the game's concept, although some report issues with windowed mode affecting graphic display. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and a superb soundtrack enhances the challenging puzzle-solving experience.
“Splice's immediate appeal is in its visuals; minimalistic, smooth, and aesthetically pleasing.”
“Splice enjoys surprisingly beautiful graphics for an arcade game.”
“An absolutely beautiful puzzler with pleasing aesthetics, and the music flows seamlessly with the unique art style.”
“The controls and visuals are kind of awkward.”
“Only glitch I've found is that it does not like windowed mode; in fact, none of the graphics show up, so you just get a background, tinkly music, and bloops as you click blindly at the ninja-genes.”
“Similar in aesthetics to Osmos.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Splice is characterized by its minimalist and unique puzzle mechanics that gradually introduce new cell dynamics, providing a satisfying challenge once mastered. While the game offers a clever and intuitive experience, some players find the lack of detailed instructions and limited replay value a drawback, as it consists of only 77 short puzzles. Overall, the game is praised for its thematic coherence and immersive atmosphere, but may not satisfy those seeking extensive or highly complex gameplay.
“Each level introduces new cell mechanics gradually to get you accustomed to the dynamics of the game.”
“I just love the feel of this game, the music, the simple but at times challenging gameplay, it just feels right.”
“The game has fantastic music, deceptively simple gameplay, and another of their hallmark intuitive UIs.”
“If only the main gameplay was explained, then players could have some understanding of what is happening.”
“However, I just can't wrap my head around the mechanics of these puzzles very well.”
“Don't do it if you really want a brain-wracker of a puzzle (Splice's puzzles are usually pretty straightforward, once you figure out the basic moves). You need more than an hour or two of gameplay to justify paying for a game, as there's not yet a randomly generated puzzle feature, so once you've done all the puzzles, there's not any ongoing challenge to come back to.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability, primarily due to its short length of 77 puzzles and minimal instructions, which may lead to confusion with new mechanics. While players enjoy their initial experience, many feel the game lacks sufficient value for repeated playthroughs.
“The game only consists of 77 short puzzles, which offers almost no replay value. The lack of instructions can lead to confusion when new mechanics are introduced.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play again, as the puzzles don't change and the experience feels repetitive.”
“The limited variety in gameplay means that after the first playthrough, there's not much left to explore or enjoy.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful piano soundtrack and immersive qualities, creating a mesmerizing experience. Players appreciate how the simple yet unique puzzle mechanics evolve into complex scenarios, enhancing the overall ambiance and engagement.
“A simple, yet fun and unique puzzle game with a beautiful piano score and almost mesmerizing atmosphere.”
“[Simple and unique puzzle mechanics evolve into complex and rewarding scenarios, well done immersive atmosphere, steadily implemented learning curve.]”
“The soundtrack is beautiful and the atmosphere is great.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's emotional impact, particularly praising its evocative piano music that enhances the experience and can evoke strong feelings, even leading to tears. The combination of its aesthetic design and challenging puzzles creates a deeply moving atmosphere that resonates with players.
“The only puzzle game that almost made me cry because of the music.”
“Aesthetic, simplistic style challenging puzzler that serenades you with emotionally evocative piano solos as you gene-splice yourself into angelic sequences.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally well-received, though it may not satisfy players looking for a strong narrative or those who dislike repetitive elements. It is recommended for those who appreciate engaging gameplay over plot-driven experiences.
“This game does not disappoint - but you may want to avoid it if you prefer puzzle games with a plot or dislike repetitive content.”
