SquareCells
- December 7, 2015
- Matthew Brown
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamSquareCells is a single-player puzzle game with impressive game mechanics and sensational music. The game describes itself as an ambient logic puzzle game, where players reveal patterns in grids using surrounding clues. With 36 brain-teasing puzzles, players can expect a challenging and enjoyable experience.
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Reviews
- SquareCells offers a unique blend of Picross and Minesweeper mechanics, providing a fresh take on logic puzzles.
- The game features a gradual difficulty curve, with puzzles that challenge players' logical reasoning without requiring guessing.
- The minimalist design and calming soundtrack create a relaxing atmosphere, enhancing the overall puzzle-solving experience.
- The game is relatively short, with only 36 puzzles, which may leave players wanting more content.
- Some players found the color scheme and visual indicators for marked cells to be difficult to read, leading to frustration.
- The star rating system penalizes players for mistakes, requiring them to restart puzzles to achieve a perfect score, which can be tedious.
- gameplay202 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Squarecells is a blend of familiar picross mechanics with innovative twists, such as new ways to deduce tile placements through groupings and connections. While the game offers a relaxing experience with a soothing soundtrack, some players found the mechanics poorly explained and the overall gameplay lacking in depth compared to its predecessor, Hexcells. Despite its simplicity and short playtime, it remains engaging for fans of logic puzzles, providing a satisfying challenge as players adapt to its unique mechanics.
“Its elegant design and captivating gameplay offer a soothing yet engaging experience.”
“Squarecells features a unique gameplay loop compared to his other games, plus a relaxing chill soundtrack as you progress through the thirty-six increasingly difficult puzzles that are reminiscent of the Hexcells series.”
“Wonderfully relaxing, pure logic-based gameplay, no guessing required.”
“Poorly explained, confusing mechanics.”
“The main mechanic is not well explained; fortunately, there are video walkthroughs in the guide section.”
“The gameplay (for me, at least) was not enjoyable.”
- music150 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in Squarecells is widely praised for its calming and ambient qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of the game. Players appreciate the soothing soundtrack that complements the minimalist visuals and provides a meditative atmosphere while solving puzzles. However, some users noted that the music can become repetitive over time, and there are requests for more options to customize audio settings.
“Squarecells features a unique gameplay loop compared to his other games, plus a relaxing chill soundtrack as you progress through the thirty-six increasingly difficult puzzles that are reminiscent of the Hexcells series.”
“When you're on the brink of giving up, the tranquil music pulls you back into a zen state.”
“The game is very relaxing, features some soothing ambient music and animations, but all in all the UI is minimalist and never gets in the way; it's all about relaxing your mind while trying to solve the different puzzles.”
“I will complain that I did not like the music at all, but since that can easily be turned off, it's a really minor complaint.”
“The only con is that it reuses the music from Hexcells, so no new ambient for us :(”
“If the game had been longer it would need more variation in music, but it serves its purpose as it is.”
- graphics58 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist aesthetic that is both clean and elegant, reminiscent of the creator's previous work, Hexcells. While many players appreciate the simple art style and colorful levels, some have noted issues with text readability. Overall, the visuals contribute to a relaxing and enjoyable puzzle-solving experience, with options to adjust graphics settings for improved clarity.
“With its minimalist aesthetics and ever-deepening complexity, Squarecells guarantees hours of delightful brain-teasing.”
“It has a clean, sleek aesthetic and has very colorful levels.”
“Squarecells is an ambient puzzler, much like Hexcells: relaxing, soothing music coupled with minimalist graphics (now with a dark theme included) make for a very pleasant experience.”
“Still a great game, but I really wish it had clearer visuals.”
“The music is relaxing and the visuals are clean, but the text was really hard to read.”
“The text was a little hard to read, but I found that changing the graphics dimensions helped improve it.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many levels requiring excessive counting and minimal variety in logic. While the initial puzzles are engaging, they quickly become laborious, especially when aiming for perfect completion. The game's attempts to alleviate this through a star system often lead to more frustration than enjoyment.
“What had already become a tedious game became even more tedious as I had to resort to manually counting which flags I'd placed already before making any new moves.”
“The first few puzzles are all right, then they become tedious, and to get perfect completion is more work than I care to do.”
“This is a disappointment, a picross variant that doesn't give you any meaningful patterns yet tediously marking correct tiles is mandatory.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low due to the limited number of levels (36) and the absence of a level generator or player-submitted content. While some players find enjoyment in revisiting the puzzles after a break, many agree that once the levels are completed, there is little incentive to replay them. Despite this, the game is still appreciated for its casual appeal at its price point.
“I've fully completed it three times now and it has great replay value because you forget the intricacies of the puzzles but remember the rules, which makes it very enjoyable to re-visit - I'm sure I'll be back again in a few months!”
“There are only 36 levels and there is no level generator, nor player submitted levels, so the replay value is reduced.”
“There's no replayability, either, once you've done the levels with no mistakes.”
“The replay value for the game is low.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a calming and meditative quality, enhanced by its minimalist presentation and ethereal music. Players appreciate the elegant design and well-thought-out puzzles, which create a relaxing environment that balances logic and ambient sound. Overall, the combination of soothing music and simple visuals contributes to a tranquil gaming experience.
“Like Brown's previous games, Squarecells also has a very clean, minimalist presentation, and a calm, meditative atmosphere thanks to its ethereal music and sound design.”
“It's sort of a good mix between logic thinking and relaxed ambient music and atmosphere.”
“The puzzles are well-thought, the atmosphere relaxing, and the design elegant.”
- story8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is largely absent, with reviewers noting that there is no plot, focusing instead on the puzzle mechanics. While the gameplay is engaging for fans of the genre, the narrative is described as dry and minimal, emphasizing pure puzzle-solving over storytelling.
“If you liked Hexcells, this is the perfect sequel, although the plot is a bit dry.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when successfully solving challenging puzzles, particularly noting that completing the pre-last puzzle independently evokes positive emotions.
“Solving the pre-last puzzle all by myself made me feel good, that's for sure.”
