The Shape of Things

About

The Shape of Things is a single player casual platformer game. It was developed by Hyper Three Studio and was released on May 26, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

The Shape of Things takes Rubik’s cube’s basic concept but focuses on real-life objects with a more soothing vibe. Game MechanicsPuzzles appear in various combinations; you need to find the correct position for each piece by rotating, panning, or scaling until you find the shape of things.Just like in real life, mystery worlds are trapped in gachapon waiting for their release, by solving puzzles y…

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 179 reviews

graphics20 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a cozy, relaxing, and charming atmosphere with soothing visuals and a pleasant soundtrack.
Puzzle concept is simple yet satisfying, suitable for casual play and short bursts, with a good amount of content including multiple themed worlds and DLCs.
The unique gacha-style unlock system and customization options for the main room enhance the overall experience.

Controls, especially mouse controls, are often clunky, unintuitive, and frustrating, impairing the relaxing experience.
The precision required to complete puzzles varies inconsistently and can be irritating, sometimes demanding near pixel-perfect alignment.
Some UI issues include difficulty navigating level progression, lack of clear indicators for completed/unlocked puzzles, and a cumbersome way to exit or move between menus.

graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
48%
7%
The game features charming, clean, low-poly graphics with soft pastel colors that create a calming and inviting atmosphere, enhancing its relaxing and cozy vibe. While generally praised for its cute and aesthetically cohesive art style, some users found the visuals pleasant but not highly original or immersive enough, wishing for more integration or variety. Overall, the graphics effectively support the game's soothing, meditative experience without overwhelming complexity.
- “The graphics employ a clean, low-poly style with soft pastel colors that make the world feel inviting and uncluttered.”
- “The design of each object is both functional and aesthetic, rendered with enough detail to be instantly recognizable but simple enough to maintain visual harmony.”
- “A lovely little game, that has soothing music and gorgeous visuals, probably one of the best relaxing games I have ever played.”
- “As a workaround, I've had to turn off HDR before I start the game for the graphics to work properly.”
- “The visuals are pleasing but nothing too original; I wish they'd done more with the backgrounds, for example, integrate all the objects you finished into the background so it gets slowly filled.”
- “Helps to not have graphics settings set to low even on basic gear (I have a potato), and the game was a lot easier when I changed up the in-game settings to medium rather than the low I had chosen initially.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing, cozy, and soothing qualities, often featuring chill piano melodies that perfectly complement the calming atmosphere and visuals. While many find the soundtrack enhances the experience and helps with relaxation or concentration, a few note it can become repetitive due to limited tracks. Overall, the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's tranquil and enjoyable vibe.
- “The music is relaxing, and the sound design of the rotation, slide and size maneuvers is very satisfying.”
- “A lovely little game, that has soothing music and gorgeous visuals, probably one of the best relaxing games I have ever played.”
- “I liked it so much that I bought the soundtrack too and I plan to use it for concentration when I'm studying.”
- “- The soundtrack is quite short and gets repetitive within a few minutes.”
- “Halfway through the game I wanted to bash my head in to stop the music.”
- “A short, repetitive soundtrack and frustrating controls ruined the relaxed vibes that the game was trying to create.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
69%
12%
The gameplay centers on assembling 3D objects by rotating and repositioning fragmented parts, featuring accessible mechanics and smooth controls that create a generally relaxing experience. However, its core puzzle mechanic remains unchanged throughout, leading to some repetitiveness and a lack of mechanical depth, which may cause the gameplay to feel tedious or overstaying its welcome after multiple levels. Overall, it is best enjoyed in short sessions as a calm, straightforward puzzler with charming visuals and intuitive, if somewhat limited, gameplay.
- “The gameplay revolves around assembling a variety of three-dimensional objects by rotating and repositioning their fragmented parts until they align into a coherent whole.”
- “The mechanics are accessible to anyone, and the smooth interface ensures that the experience feels fluid whether you’re using a mouse or a controller.”
- “I had my doubts about the concept before playing, thinking it could lead to some confusing gameplay, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well implemented the controls are - it takes a little getting used to with the mouse controls but it soon becomes intuitive working through the puzzles.”
- “That said, I found the gameplay itself a bit less relaxing than expected, and not because of the puzzles, but the controls.”
- “It isn't bad, but it's boring and overstays its welcome somewhere after the 3rd set of puzzles, since it doesn't introduce any new mechanics.”
- “It is a shame but one could not tolerate the tedious mechanics to continue with this 'relaxing' game.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy, calming, and relaxing vibe, enhanced by charming visuals, a chill soundtrack, and customizable settings like weather and time of day. It creates a soothing environment perfect for unwinding, with a focus on emotional experience over challenge. This inviting ambiance, combined with simple, tactile puzzle mechanics, makes it an enjoyable space to relax and reflect.
- “For players who value games that prioritize emotion and atmosphere over difficulty, 'The Shape of Things' delivers exactly what its title promises—a thoughtful reflection on form, function, and the simple joy of creation.”
- “You can also just hang out in your room (which acts as the main menu) and enjoy the chill music and cozy atmosphere (you can adjust the time of day and the weather to your liking).”
- “- The soundtrack: chill soundtrack to set the atmosphere.”
- “Like the visuals and atmosphere of the game, but I find the puzzles to be either too repetitive or just frustrating.”
- “It blends the tactile pleasure of manipulation with a calming atmosphere designed to ease rather than challenge the player.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The game lacks a traditional story or plot, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics without narrative depth. Players seeking engaging stories or varied environmental storytelling may find it lacking, though the absence of story doesn't detract from the core experience.
- “Some may also wish for a broader variety of interactions or environmental storytelling beyond the core rotation and assembly mechanic.”
- “Unlike tiny lands where each level was a scene that compelled the player to imagine a story, the levels in The Shape of Things are random objects with no appeal.”
- “Unlike Tiny Lands, where each level was a scene that compelled the player to imagine a story, the levels in The Shape of Things are random objects with no appeal.”
- “So overall easily worth the low price, just don't expect challenging puzzles or a story.”
- “There is no plot at all, and frankly, this game doesn't need it.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely regarded as tedious and frustrating due to overly precise controls and repetitive, minute adjustments. This makes what is intended as a relaxing experience feel unnecessarily challenging and time-consuming, with poor control design contributing to player annoyance.
- “You have to line up the edges far too precisely that, the farther in you get, you spend an inordinate amount of time rotating the object, moving a part a minuscule amount, rotating it again, moving another part a minuscule amount, rotating it again, etc. It just gets hugely tedious.”
- “It is a shame but one could not tolerate the tedious mechanics to continue with this 'relaxing' game.”
- “The Shape of Things is supposed to be a casual and relaxing game, but due to the poor controls, it makes it tedious to play.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a gentle, emotionally satisfying experience similar to titles like Unpacking or Assemble with Care, focusing on engagement and aesthetic appeal rather than competition. Players find it touching and calming, though some note minor imperfections in puzzle alignment.
- “It belongs in the same emotional space as games like Unpacking or Assemble with Care, where the satisfaction comes from engagement rather than competition.”
- “Purchased this earlier in 2024 as it was recommended by Wholesome Games. The idea, the puzzle element, and the aesthetic were quite appealing indeed.”
- “They are already touching and just aren't lined up quite right.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Monetization is minimal and unobtrusive, with no microtransactions present; the gacha element is purely for added flavor and does not impact gameplay.
- “Don't let the gacha bit scare you, it's just for a little flavor and there are no microtransactions of any sort.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is intended to be quirky but often comes across as random rather than cleverly executed, with only a few instances where objects are cut in a funny or logical way.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers substantial replayability with a wealth of content, making it worth the full price even without discounts.
- “Even if you can't get it on sale, it's worth the full price in my opinion due to the amount of content and replayability.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs on the Steam Deck but could benefit from further optimization to improve performance.
- “It does run on the Steam Deck, though it could stand to be optimized.”

Skip Game Offers

Buy The Shape of Things

7h Median play time

7h Average play time

7-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like The Shape of Things

85%348reviews

Tiny Lands

2021

Casual Platformer

92%3.3kreviews

Glass Masquerade

2016

Casual Action Adventure

84%12.9kreviews

A Little To The Left

2022

Casual Simulation

+14

94%1.8kreviews

SUMMERHOUSE

2024

Casual City Builder

75%3.3kreviews

Morphopolis

2014

Casual Puzzle

More games like The Shape of Things

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Shape of Things is a casual platformer game.

The Shape of Things is available on Nintendo Switch, PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Shape of Things.

The Shape of Things was released on May 26, 2023.

The Shape of Things was developed by Hyper Three Studio.

The Shape of Things has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Shape of Things for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

The Shape of Things is a single player game.

Similar games include Tiny Lands, Glass Masquerade, A Little To The Left, SUMMERHOUSE, Morphopolis and others.

The Shape of Things

Platforms

Buy The Shape of Things