Quell

 
Although its main mechanic of sliding an object over a 2d plane isn't very unique in the puzzle game scene, Quell was able to set itself apart with an absolutely gorgeous aesthetic. I'm used to puzzle games focusing on minimalism and often leaving their visuals rather simple. Quell shook that up all the way from the structure of its menus to the animation of its sprites. Everything in this game is beautiful both visually and audibly. Unlike similar titles, such as Flow Free, the content in this game is far from endless, but the developers do a good job of stretching each of the levels enough to extend the gameplay without causing any of them to overstay their welcome.

The main task presented by this game is guiding a water droplet through the small (but intricate) mazes found on your window panes. The droplet has to collect each of the pearls in the maze without getting trapped or popped by the hazards around it. As you progress through the levels, the time period in which the game takes place progresses as well, altering the visuals in both the level-selection menus and the mazes themselves. Story-wise, it makes absolutely no sense. However, this structure makes for a really pretty atmosphere for the puzzles, and it's a fun way to represent your progression through the game. Each level can be solved in as many moves as you'd like, but completion requires beating each of the levels in the absolute minimum number of moves and finding the gems hidden in each of the mazes. Completion is only good for achievements, but it still feels like a fun goal to work towards while playing.

When it comes down to it, Quell offered me one of the most pleasant puzzle game experiences that I have ever had. The gameplay was smooth and enjoyable, and the atmosphere is an outstanding change of pace from what puzzle games usually deliver. The smaller amount of content actually makes the game feel more approachable, in my opinion, which I appreciated as well. If I do feel like I want more Quell at some point, it has successors, supposedly with even more beautiful puzzles. Based on my experience with it, the follow-ups are well-deserved.

The game is available on Steam here (as of 2/20/21): https://store.steampowered.com/app/344480/Quell/
The game is available for Android here (as of 2/20/21): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fallentreegames.quellfree&hl=en
The game is available for iOS here (as of 2/20/21): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quell/id383027157
The game is available for Fire Tablets here (as of 2/20/21): https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Tree-Games-Quell/dp/B0055SWM08

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