Aloof

This is a very good block puzzle game for fans of the genre. It is something like Puyo-Puyo, but the shape building mechanics make it stand out quite a lot from that. I wish there was more content in the game; I beat the singleplayer campaign in a few hours (though there were a couple of good puzzle levels in here that stumped me for a little while), and the vs. AI mode has 3 levels with AI speed the only difficulty setting. The co-op campaign is pretty much just the singleplayer campaign again, and the multiplayer VS has 5 levels (I think?) to choose from with fixed shapes available in each. Of course the worst issue is just that it's currently pretty obscure so there's never anyone online to play with, you'll have to pre-arrange a match with a friend. I really like this game, but I have a wishlist of features for it: * More content in the campaign mode * More customizability in the VS mode (levels with a semi-randomized shape selection, levels with unique restrictions or goals, ...

I didn't even get to a battle portion because I found the game fatuous, and dull. To it's credit it has a demo, but I returned it having only paid 50 cents. I really wanted to stick it out to see all that the game could have to offer because it seems to have some neat ideas, but it was just so bad to start with, there was no getting past it. By all means try the demo and see if it's for you, but I really can't recommend this game.

An excellent puzzle fighter. Sets itself apart from others of the genre with unique game play in the level of control and how you can manipulate the blocks when setting up groups of 5. Not much in the way of a story beyond what you pick up from the levels of battles and puzzles you encounter. That said there is a lot to take in as the art is detailed and interesting. And the music brings it all together fitting the levels and situation in battles.

Aloof does have a similar gameplay to Puyo Puyo, but the goal differs. The game will ask you -more often than not- to draw a pattern, almost like a picross game. The catch being, if you match too many tiles, they will disappear and ruin your shapes. Some levels can be brute-forced but the rest is pretty chill. It gets cheap when it goes on sale, and while being on the short side of things, is trying something different, so I would recommend if the genre is something that you enjoy.

fun, fresh, polished puzzler. feels great to coordinate builds and combos in co-op, and the head-to-head mode offers a lot of deep strategy thanks to the unique (yet intuitive) building and health mechanics. try the demo, the game does a great job of teaching you all about how its played. overall a fantastic buy for action puzzle fans, specifically puyo puyo, and also for people who want to like puyo but find it a bit overwhelming.

Solid competitive puzzler.

A clever and charming game. I found especially nice for a play-through ("Voyage") in co-op over a couple of hours. The artwork and music is nice and somber. That combined with the quick-thinking combat makes the game strangely relaxing and stressful at once. The gameplay is similar to- but not quite like- Puyo Puyo/Dr Mario: [list] [*] The blocks are freely movable, they don't fall automatically. The time pressure comes from having an opponent. [*] You have two boards that you can rotate between, with the off-board appearing as a shadow in the current board. This allows you to work on different patterns or chains or just toss an unwanted piece away on the other board. Also as a neat effect this allows you to (puzzle soiler): [spoiler]squeeze in a piece from the other side into an area that is blocked on the current board[/spoiler]. [*] Your board can be cleared at any time, costing only time. [/list] The puzzle-focused levels that acted a bit as tutorials, though forcing you to fig...

I am oddly frightened by this game, but it's probably the only puzzle-fighter I can decently play. I'm glad that I can change the AI speed, that relaxes me a little bit. I think it's the music more than anything that gives me an eerie vibe about the whole game. And the enemies intimidate me. But it's a pretty good game, I recommend it, and I'm glad with what I've accomplished so far. I'll definitely be using co-op in the future!

I don't play many puzzle games but this one captivated me with its looks and atmosphere. It can actually be very relaxing! Pleasant sound design plays a big part of it I think. It's one of those games that is pretty easy to pick up but it probably has unlimited depth if you are willing to go deep! Also props to the developer for shipping a game with some many options and multiplayer features :) Highly recommend if you are into puzzle games or looking for something different.

If you like puzzle games, this is a great choice. It starts easy but gets challenging along the way. I've spent some hours on it and I'm not going to stop anytime soon. 8/10