CIPHER ZERO

Cipher Zero is a good collection of puzzles that is really elevated by its minimalist presentation and moody soundtrack, it got me into a nice flow state quite a few times ! It strikes a good balance between intuition and deduction in my opinion and after a while, patterns start to emerge and you start to breeze through some puzzle sets Difficulty wise, I'd say the game is moderate (but I play a lot of puzzle games so take that into account, your mileage may vary) a few puzzles stumped me for a while but overall I got through it quickly (I often take big breaks with the game running in the background so my actual "playtime" is way lower than the one displayed in the review) Do note though that the progression is strictly linear as in, each puzzle is locked until you solve the one before, you can't skip puzzles, there isn't any hint system. If you're stuck, you're stuck and that's it. I don't see it as a negative as I like to have a puzzle on the back on my mind when I'm outside of t...

Don't let yourself get fooled, there is very little rule discovery in this game. The bulk of it is plain puzzle solving with previously well established rulesets. The completely linear structure also makes it so there is always only one puzzle you're expected to bash your head against. The comparisons to The Witness fall flat. If you want a game like that, I'd recommend Taiji instead. Now that that's out of the way, this is a solid and chill puzzle game that gets quite tricky toward the end and has some clever puzzle designs. And the visuals and audio are surprisingly good, it's a nice atmosphere to be immersed in. They invested a lot of effort to distract from the fact you're only solving a linear set of levels.

Very well-polished and beautiful puzzle game inspired by The Witness. The later puzzles tend to require bifurcation to solve though, and better quality of life features such as undo, more right click colors, or a way to flag a square as on/off would have been nice. Overall a solid puzzle game, but there are better ones.

CIPHER ZERO is a prime example of how puzzle games should be structured and tutorialized. It respects your time and intelligence, avoiding unnecessary fluff or overcomplication. The puzzles are thoughtfully designed and well-paced, and the game's aesthetic and sound design are both tasteful and minimal. For a $20 puzzler, what more could you want? Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates a clean, focused puzzle experience.

Nice rule discovery puzzle game. Introduces new mechanics at a good pace and has some tricky twists toward the end.

One hour in, and loving it so far! Really good puzzles, and a really well designed learning curve. The puzzles are excellent at teaching you the rules without telling you the rules, and each puzzle builds on the previous ones. I'm constantly feeling both clever and challenged. Also the sound and art direction really fit well with the game-play, so the whole experience is consistent and engaging. Highly recommended for people who like a good puzzle game!

Love this game. Incredible difficulty curve with a plethora of incredible UI and UX and music flourishes

Very fun abstract puzzle game. The difficulty ramp is excellent - the early puzzles teach you the rules and the later puzzles make you apply that knowledge.

This is good puzzle game with cool art and satisfying audio. The game starts off easy with common box style puzzles like nonograms or minesweeper. Then it introduces new symbols where you need to figure out the rule that the symbol represents. The puzzles are also challenging enough to force you to take a moment and really think about the logic behind it. One thing to mention is how easy it is to just hit a brick wall. The puzzles are laid out in a linear fashion where you must complete the previous puzzle to progress to the next one. This is understandable as each early puzzle for a symbol gives you clues to what the rule is. But if you don't figure it out, there is nothing you can do. Because of it's linear fashion, Cypher Zero doesn't give you the luxury of trying a different puzzle before coming back later. You MUST complete that puzzle in order to progress. Which is a shame as there were some puzzles I felt were actually easier to solve after I overcame roadblocks by brute force....

fun!