A mark of a truly good puzzle game is a core mechanic that can be used in many different ways to manipulate the level and get you to the end line. It is safe to say that Halver has nailed that on the head.
It is a simple mechanic: Shoot things to split them into equal parts horizontally or vertically, depending on the plane you hit.
Based on that description and the name of the game, you could guess that Gologames will create some interesting levels. This indie developer doesn’t disappoint, blowing that expectation out of the water with the depth and variety in their design.
A Good Foundation
You play as a hero block that has to make its way through 48 levels of different challenges. Some of these levels are highly structured with a clear path through. The challenge is to figure out that ideal path.
Some levels require speed with your strategy, and it also becomes a challenge to complete the task perfectly. Some levels are messy and challenge you to find your way through it. Sometimes you have a lot of bullets that you can use, other times you only have 2 and have to be very precise in your usage.
Every one of these levels is thought-provoking and well-balanced with a steady difficulty ramp. And it only gets harder as you go along, requiring you to put in the work to master the mechanics. By this, it isn’t just understanding the shooting mechanic, but how each one of the level elements works with each other. It is also important to understand how the hero block moves through the level, how high it can jump, etc.
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There are a lot of different level blocks and elements that impact the hero and its progression through the level in different ways. Aside from your standard blocks, there are transparent blocks that you can use to double jump, enemy blocks that move in different ways, danger zones, portals, and even updrafts that push the character and the blocks upwards. They all have to be used in different ways to help you reach the end zone.
When Geometry Meets Physics
This is all aided by a cool tutorial system that gives you little tips as you move through the level. It is a combination of permanent signs on the blueprint backgrounds, text prompts that pop up temporarily when you pass through a hint symbol, and permanent text to serve as a guide.
Through it all, you are accompanied by a little orb of light that encourages you and supports you. It is weirdly wholesome while being delightfully pretty. This blueprint aesthetic creates levels that are easy to understand at a glance, giving you the space in which to start figuring out your way through.
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This is just the start of Halver’s immersive experience. Along with the calming design, this game has a beautiful, serene soundscape that is a joy to listen to. There are simple sound cues to tell you when you succeed at collecting an orb or shoot successfully.
As you reach the end of each level, it seamlessly loads the next one, completing the immersive environment. The next thing you know, you have played through 10 levels without realizing where the time has gone.
The Creases To Be Ironed Out
This game is brilliant and there is very little fault I could find in it. The game runs smoothly, but there is a bug that forces it to minimize when you exit from the levels to the Main Menu. As a result, I had to force-stop the game and restart it to get back into it.
Other than this, I only had 2 problems with my experience. The first is that I did not realize that these levels had a ‘star’ grading system based on how well you complete them. I only discovered that the second time I opened the game, when I got into the level select screen.
On one hand, it isn’t a problem because not knowing how you are doing keeps you immersed and moving along. However, the completionist in me was rather annoyed to discover this. I was even more annoyed about the fact that I didn’t know what contributed to these stars. Is it how quickly I reach the end? Is it how many light orbs I collect? Is it a combination?
This leads me to my second problem with the game. While the tutorial/tips address how to progress and what to do, they don’t explain these light orbs. For the longest time, I was wondering if they had something to do with the bullets. It took me a while to realize that they are just collectibles.
Then there was the red/dark light. All the level told me was that the dark light could only be collected once. I did not know how or why it mattered until many levels later when my light guide told me that dark lights allow me to buy tips. Then there is the fact that I did not see another dark light after that. It is a little detail that stood out because of how well the rest of the game ran.
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Still To Come
Overall, this was an excellent puzzler, one I really enjoyed. It is a game I am sure to play again just to 3-star all of the levels. This game, like some of the other indie titles I have reviewed, is a brilliant example of what small teams and single developers can create when facing constraints. You should add this game to your library if you are a fan of physics puzzlers.
The most exciting elements about this game are the features that are yet to be added. These include a level creator, which begs the question if these levels can be uploaded so that we can play levels created by others. Another element is the random feature, levels that are randomly generated. Of course, these modes can have a lot of hiccups, but I am holding out hope because of how polished the core game is.
GamesHorizon received a review copy of Halver for Steam. The game releases on April 11, 2024.
A fantastic puzzle game that will appeal to any puzzle lover, especially those who enjoy physics-based puzzles.
The Good
- Cool core mechanic that can be used to manipulate the level in different ways to solve it
- Different types of levels challenge different skills
- Various level elements that react to the hero block and the halving bullets differently
- Great system of inbuilt tips that serve as a guide
- A simple art style that makes it easy to understand the level
- Beautiful soundscape
- Smooth flow from level to level keeps you engaged and immersed
- As promised, simple to learn but hard to master
The Bad
- No way to track the stars, or how well you complete the level until you go into the level select screen
- No way to tell what impacts your score in each level
- Exiting the levels to the main menu triggers a glitch that keeps minimizing the level
- Some confusing things about the elements in the game with lights and bullets
