Tandis
- April 21, 2022
- Mahdi Bahrami
Get on Steam"Tandis" is a 3D puzzle game that challenges players to explore and manipulate geometric shapes through simple transformations. Immerse yourself in a world of mind-bending forms and create your own 3D designs to export and share. With its unique gameplay and creative possibilities, Tandis offers a fresh and engaging experience for fans of puzzlers and geometric art alike.
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Reviews
- Tandis offers a unique and creative puzzle experience that effectively teaches geometric transformations and spatial reasoning.
- The game features beautiful graphics and soothing music, creating a calming atmosphere that enhances the puzzle-solving experience.
- Players appreciate the satisfying challenge of the puzzles, with many expressing a desire for more levels and content after completing the main game.
- Many players find the game to be very short, with some completing it in under an hour, leading to disappointment regarding its value.
- The lack of a sandbox mode and limited functionality of the 'undo' feature frustrate some users, as they feel it restricts their creative exploration.
- Some levels can be overly challenging, particularly for those with less spatial awareness, which may lead to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- music28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its calming and melodic qualities that enhance focus, while others criticize it as generic and a downgrade from the developer's previous title, Engare. The use of Persian instruments is noted as a thematic strength, but repetitive tracks can become tedious during prolonged gameplay. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic for some, but leaves others wanting more in terms of originality and engagement.
“Mahdi appears to have a knack for pretty puzzle games with an enchanting mechanic and soundtrack.”
“The menus and UX are crisp, and the music is done very well, melodic and calming.”
“Yet that was not the end of it; you could see the inspirations in the overall design, the menus were colorful and charming, the music used Persian musical instruments and went perfectly with the theme of the game.”
“The problem is that I believe it's a major downgrade compared to Engare (the previous game of this developer) in terms of overall feel, aesthetics, and music.”
“And the music... what happened here?”
“Near the end of the game, I was stuck in some of the puzzles and had to hear the act 4 music track (which is 3 minutes and 46 seconds) over and over and over again, for 40 minutes straight.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a clean and intuitive interface that allows players to explore unique transformation mechanics, fostering deep concentration and engagement. While the core mechanics are simple—rotating shapes and applying transformation functions—the game encourages experimentation and creativity, reminiscent of other innovative puzzle games like Portal. However, some players feel that the complexity may hinder internalization due to a limited number of puzzles.
“By letting you explore the transformation spaces with surprisingly efficient UI mechanics, TANDIS can help you visualize more tangibly their effect.”
“The mind-bending mechanic appeals to a mathematical mind while being just a lot of fun to play with.”
“All in all, it's a simple game based around a really well-executed, novel, and illustrative core mechanic.”
“Maybe it's due to the complexity or just not enough puzzles to internalize the mechanics.”
“I often caught myself just messing with the mechanics to see what wild shapes I could produce and forgot about the current puzzle.”
“It was about three hours of gameplay for me, but it was deep concentration.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as soothing and masterfully crafted, enhancing the player's focus on problem-solving at their own pace. However, some users feel that the visuals represent a significant downgrade from the developer's previous game, "Engare," particularly in terms of overall aesthetics and musical accompaniment.
“The soothing graphics and music let the player focus on the problem at their own pace.”
“The poise and restraint with which this game delivers its mathematical and aesthetic truths is, in a word, masterful.”
“The soothing graphics and music let the player focus on the problem at their own pace.”
“The problem is that I believe it's a major downgrade compared to Engare (the previous game of this developer) in terms of overall feel, aesthetics, and music.”
“If you're quite used to this kind of thinking for some reason (like if you're a 3D graphics artist of some kind), you may only find yourself beginning to get challenged well into the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, allowing players to experiment freely with complex creations without experiencing any performance issues or crashes.
“The game seems very well-optimized; I can absolutely screw around and create insane monstrosities of shapes and never had the game freak out on me.”
