Sqroma

Genre: Puzzle / Arcade

Players: 1

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Review:

Sqroma is a character-based Puzzle game with Arcade-style elements released in 2022 on PC and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2023. This game has the simple goal of moving your box from each level’s starting point to its end point while avoiding multicolored turrets and other obstacles on your way to the goal.

If the above description was all this game had to offer, it wouldn’t make for much of a Puzzle game. However, throughout the game you’ll have to make clever use of abilities and each level’s geometry and mechanics to get past the obstacles you face. Namely, there are two main mechanics at play here. First is the fact that you can pick up upgrades to make yourself immune to the hazards and obstacles of the corresponding color. And second is by using the fact that the different-colored obstacles and hazards affect each other, and deliberately throwing yourself in harm’s way to manipulate those hazards to change in a way that’s beneficial to you.

See, when you die in Sqroma, the level doesn’t reset, and whatever changes you made, even including changes that resulted from your death, continue on into your next try. For example, a level may feature two different-colored guns firing at each other, their bullets terminating in the center-point. If you deliberately let yourself get shot by one of the two turrets, its bullet will be destroyed while the opposing bullet can continue uninterrupted, possibly destroying the opposing turret and helping you clear your path forward.

Sqroma makes good use of its different mechanics in ways that may get you to think about puzzles. In one puzzle, the only way to complete it is if you refuse to get a colored immunity upgrade, because you need to be able to get hit by that color’s bullets to change the firing pattern and get past a much more formidable target. In another, you may need to carefully plan your path from one immunity upgrade to another so each step of your journey is safe.

This clever puzzle design is extremely vital to Sqroma, as the presentation isn’t going to win anyone over. While I appreciate that the game has a bright, clean look, its simple 2D geometric shapes are in no way impressive, and while its soothing synthesized soundtrack works well enough for the game, I’m pretty sure these are public domain songs I’ve heard in other games.

Because of the low-budget presentation, I feel that Sqroma’s $9 price tag is a bit steep. This simply does not look like anything more than a bargain bin title, and that’s a real shame because the gameplay mechanics are clever, and the puzzle design is superb. My recommendation: watch for this game to go on sale. If you can get Sqroma at a good price, I think you will find it to be a superb Puzzle game well worth trying out.

tl;dr – Sqroma is a Puzzle game with Arcade-style elements that has you navigating a square to an exit point while avoiding turret fire and other hazards. While the core premise is simple, Sqroma adds some really clever mechanics and some phenomenal level design that make this a surprisingly excellent puzzle game – surprising because the presentation is extremely unimpressive in a way that makes the $9 price tag seem a bit steep. Still, if you can look past the unimpressive visuals and music, I think you’ll find this to be a wonderful Puzzle game.

Grade: B-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2023 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Puzzle Game

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