Tumblestone

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 808 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Tumblestone Game Cover
While immensely challenging, Tumblestone is the freshest puzzle game in recent memory.
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Tumblestone is a reinvention of block-matching games, offering a story mode with 40+ hours of gameplay, 11 modifiers, and a variety of quests. Its arcade mode promotes relaxation, while leaderboards and extensive stats allow for competitive play. With multiple characters, environments, and personalization options, Tumblestone provides an engaging and in-depth puzzle-solving experience.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
  • Tablet
  • Wii
  • Wii U
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 808 reviews
story35 positive mentions
stability7 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique twist on the match-3 genre, requiring players to think ahead and plan their moves carefully.
  • The multiplayer aspect is highly enjoyable, allowing for competitive play with friends both locally and online.
  • The game features a variety of modes and challenges, providing a substantial amount of content and replayability.
  • The game is considered overpriced for its content, with many reviewers suggesting it should be priced much lower.
  • Some players find the lack of an undo feature frustrating, as it forces them to restart entire levels after making a mistake.
  • The story and character design are often criticized as being bland and uninteresting, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story134 mentions

    The game's story mode is extensive, offering over 40 hours of gameplay, but opinions on its quality vary widely. While some players find the quirky and light-hearted narrative charming, many criticize it as weak, repetitive, and filled with unfunny humor. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, with many players preferring the puzzle mechanics and other game modes over the narrative itself.

    • “The story mode keeps things fresh with twists on the basic mechanics, and the arcade and multiplayer modes present fast-paced challenges that really test observation and decision making.”
    • “The game has a quirky story that will make you squint and scratch your head a bit, but most of the time you'll be focusing on mastering the new rules that are introduced with each new world you explore.”
    • “All in all, Tumblestone is chock-full of content that will keep you occupied for countless hours; as mentioned before, I've spent over 30 hours on the story mode alone.”
    • “The story is weird and nothing to write home about.”
    • “Believe it or not, this game has a story mode... with an actual story and what little I saw was awful.”
    • “The story mode is a borefest though because of its repetitiveness and the cutscenes are aggravating.”
  • gameplay121 mentions

    The gameplay of Tumblestone is characterized by its simple yet engaging match-three mechanics, which evolve with each level to introduce new challenges and modifiers that require strategic thinking. While some players appreciate the depth and variety offered, others find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in originality. Overall, the game provides a mix of casual and challenging experiences, appealing to both puzzle enthusiasts and those looking for a fun multiplayer option.

    • “The game’s simple mechanics—match three of the same colored blocks—are easy to grasp, but don’t be fooled.”
    • “The new gameplay twist in each chapter really makes it interesting and fresh.”
    • “With an entertaining story, four-player hectic multiplayer, smooth gameplay, tough puzzles, and a wide assortment of mechanics to test your brain, I can’t recommend Tumblestone enough to anyone who has ever enjoyed a puzzle game before.”
    • “Gameplay is horribly repetitive and lacks any originality, movement is not as smooth as you expect, there is a noticeable and annoying delay after going to the side before you can do anything again, and the game lacks action, which is not good for a game that advertises itself as an action-puzzle game.”
    • “Aesthetically ugly, almost disturbingly so, this game sees fit to start you off with at least 10 levels of the most tedious, boring puzzle gameplay you may ever experience in your life.”
    • “I've enjoyed quite a few arcade-style puzzle games in my day, but the game mechanics in this one end up just being more frustrating instead of fun, making the entire core of the game feel more like a chore to get through than a fun experience to be had.”
  • graphics59 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the nice visuals and charming art style, while others criticize it for being bland, generic, or poorly designed. Many comments highlight a disconnect between the intended aesthetic and the actual execution, leading to a perception of cheapness or lack of flair. Overall, while some find the graphics appealing and fitting for the gameplay, others feel they detract from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are amazing and the storyline (if you decide to play story mode) is hilarious.”
    • “In general, I like the different mechanics for the worlds, the multiplayer is a blast, and the visuals are nice; it also runs fantastically on my laptop which can barely run Bejeweled.”
    • “Tumblestone has a very pleasing art style along with a really nicely designed UI.”
    • “Everything from the graphical design to the dialogue seems to have the fun boiled out of it until it becomes nauseatingly bland yet corny.”
    • “In this age of amazingly looking indie games everywhere, often made by one-man bands, Tumblestone makes an impression for the lack of flair in its presentation; the writing, sound design, and graphics all seem bland, sub-par, uninspired.”
    • “Aesthetically ugly, almost disturbingly so, this game sees fit to start you off with at least 10 levels of the most tedious, boring puzzle gameplay you may ever experience in your life.”
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its calm and fitting nature for puzzle gameplay, while others find it repetitive and irritating due to its looping quality. A few users highlight the soundtrack as a positive aspect, noting its charm and ability to enhance the gaming experience, but many agree that it can become forgettable or overwhelming over time. Overall, the music is seen as decent but not exceptional, with a tendency to wear thin during extended play.

    • “The music is calm and tingly, fitting for playing the puzzles.”
    • “I enjoyed the soundtrack and it's been a good pickup game to play for 5-15 minutes at a time.”
    • “The sound and music are well done - I liked how the background art and music change depending on who just won the round.”
    • “The music gets irritating pretty quickly as it loops forever and doesn't change very often.”
    • “The music is god awful, just sounds like random, dissonant, bass-y notes.”
    • “Clever-ish concept, awful theme, and the music is a strong deterrent.”
  • humor17 mentions

    The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding it genuinely funny and enjoyable, particularly in the dialogue and narrative, while others criticize it as corny, unoriginal, or poorly executed. While the multiplayer aspect adds a fun element, many reviews highlight issues with pacing, art style, and overall story quality, leading to a mixed reception regarding its comedic value. Overall, the humor can be hit or miss, appealing to casual players but leaving hardcore gamers wanting more depth.

    • “Funny casual puzzle game with multiplayer mode that your friends can play for free (as the game can give you a free key, including only multiplayer mode, to share it with your friends).”
    • “Very funny and nice game!”
    • “I was quite surprised as to how much I enjoyed the narrative; it even had me laughing out loud at times.”
    • “The story is mostly unfunny non-sequitur humor with a lot of pacing issues.”
    • “Boring... okay, you play a few rounds, you do some PvP, but the game itself is boring. How many times do you have to play the same concept all over again? Playing as a sausage is not funny!”
  • stability8 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting minor bugs and glitches, while others describe it as a "big terrarium for bugs." A recent patch seems to have introduced issues in specific areas, although some players have experienced a relatively bug-free experience. Overall, player experiences vary significantly regarding stability.

    • “This game appears to be pretty much bug-free, at least to my limited experience.”
    • “The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs/glitches.”
    • “I'm sure others have had no problems, and if so... I'm glad for them and hope they continue to enjoy their non-buggy version.”
    • “My understanding is the most recent patch (which wasn't so recent) is what messed up world 5 and while you could technically use skips on some of the buggy maps, even if you'd never used a skip before (as I had not), they are not exactly infinite.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring trial and error to progress through levels. Many reviewers suggest that the lack of an "undo move" feature exacerbates the grind, forcing players to restart puzzles after mistakes. Overall, the initial levels are described as particularly dull and unengaging, contributing to a frustrating experience.

    • “Theoretically, each level could be solved before even making the first move, but practically, due to how tedious that is, some harder levels may need some repetition of trial and error.”
    • “They should have implemented an 'undo move' button to prevent the game from being as grindy as it is; you have to redo entire puzzles from scratch after one wrong move.”
    • “Aesthetically ugly, almost disturbingly so, this game sees fit to start you off with at least 10 levels of the most tedious, boring puzzle gameplay you may ever experience in your life.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for resembling outdated trial models, with users feeling misled by its disguised trial version and intrusive ads. Many reviewers liken it to a mobile cash grab, suggesting that it fails to deliver a genuine gaming experience and instead prioritizes profit through aggressive advertising, similar to free-to-play mobile games.

    • “I thought the 'trial mode' way of monetization had died in the Windows Vista days, but it's interesting to see it make a comeback.”
    • “There are plenty of free mobile and Facebook games that utilize this match-3 technique, often supported by microtransactions.”
    • “I'm giving it a negative review because I purchased it along with a bundle, only to now realize it's just a disguised trial version with nagging ads.”
    • “Besides that though, it doesn't even feel like a proper puzzle game, as it feels more like a mobile cash grab than anything considering my next point.”
    • “This looks like something you'd download for free from the Play Store, play for 5 minutes, get bombarded by ads, then uninstall.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game evokes strong feelings, with players expressing a deep sense of frustration and longing as they grapple with challenging puzzles, leading to a mix of sadness and nostalgia. While some appreciate the wholesome family fun it offers, others feel disillusioned enough to discourage others from purchasing it.

    • “Makes me want to cry in a corner while a hairy Mexican gardener sings a lullaby to me while the puzzles consume my every thought and actions.”
    • “I get closer and closer to the solution, but never touching the finale.”
    • “Good, wholesome family fun!”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, particularly in the base multiplayer mode, which some reviewers find basic and lacking compared to other puzzle games. However, there is some value in the multiplayer and arcade modes, suggesting that players who enjoy these aspects may find enough content to justify a lower price point.

    • “There’s definitely a good amount of replay value to be had with the multiplayer and arcade modes.”
    • “The base game multiplayer is quite basic and does not have much replayability.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that character development is perceived as lacking, with some users finding the character design to be uninspired and unengaging.

    • “I personally find the character design lazy and boring.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

84% average critic score

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