3°C: Sand Puzzle Review | TheXboxHub

A Vibrant Cascade or a Sandy Snoozefest?

For years, the KEMCO crew have seemingly targeted on one factor, and one factor solely: filling the gaming panorama with about as many retro-styled RPGS as they might get away with.

We stopped counting as they launched a 50-game bundle on Xbox again in 2023, however since then, barely every week or two has passed by and not using a new KEMCO RPG for us to slather over.

However slowly and certainly that very same crew has seen that focus pivot ever so barely, launching a number of visible novel sort video games to the market. And now they’re persevering with to modify issues up with 3°C: Sand Puzzle.

You received’t come to three°C: Sand Puzzle considering that that is one other RPG. The secret alone just about particulars what’s on provide right here – a sand puzzle wherein you’re tasked with clearing a single display scene of a mess of grains of sand, matching a number of colors as extra randomly drop from the sky. With a number of totally different sport modes current, you greatest take pleasure in some color matching and clicking too, as a result of that’s about all you’ll ever be doing with this one.

3°C Sand Puzzle review 1 — Color matching? You bought it.

Cascading Colours and Strategic Clicks

There’s sufficient about 3°C: Sand Puzzle to maintain you busy for an hour or two, however past that, we really feel the random nature of play, and success that’s dictated by luck, may properly see enjoyment wane. And there’s little question that it’s not essentially the most aesthetically pleasing of video games both, particularly within the primary menu system that holds issues collectively.

What you can find right here although is a certain quantity of addictive high quality, as you look to click on grains of sand away from the display, all earlier than extra drop into play. See, while it’s good apply to go looking massive blocks of the identical color, with related grains being whisked away and not using a care, the catch with 3°C is that for each few clicks of the board, that sand will carry on falling, filling the display, solely pushed again by shifting big swathes of grains in a single massive bulk.

It’s that limitation on actions that brings some strategic play to proceedings, as you cross fingers and hope that no matter ways you determine to make use of, will begin to come to fruition for the board you’re on.

Bombs, Rainbows, and Sport Modes

For us, we sat and hoped that the odd bomb would seem, clearing a big space round it, transferring Stone blockers alongside the way in which. However principally we prayed to the gods {that a} Rainbow grain would show to be a sport changer. Spoiler: they’re, as they clear all blocks of 1 color from the display, irrespective of whether or not they’re touching and matching others or not. If you happen to get to a degree in 3°C when your display is sort of crammed, and Sport Over indicators are slowly creeping over the horizon, these little rainbows are godsends.

With out them, a spherical in 3°C might be over pretty swiftly, scores dropped onto a leaderboard (native solely I’m afraid, with on-line functionality a sore miss) and the participant left to roll once more.

3°C Sand Puzzle review 2 — Numerous visible kinds are good

It’s good that KEMCO have included a number of totally different sport modes. Switching up the problem, from Straightforward to Regular to Laborious, might be performed via the menus, as can altering the straightforward visuals when it comes to backgrounds, cursors and grain sorts. That’s all very a lot a muchness, even when it does allow you to settle by yourself most well-liked visible fashion.

Understanding 3°C: Sand Puzzle’s Modes

It’ll be the sport modes which tempt you in a bit extra although. Two differing kinds are current, within the type of Traditional and Timed, the latter of which runs on a one, three or 5 minute foundation. Every of these modes then has additional sub-modes too: Prepare, Unique after which + modes for every. .

The issue is, we’ve sat down and rinsed 3°C and these sand puzzles for just about every thing the sport has to supply over a few evenings of play, and if we hadn’t seemed into the press blurb that got here with the sport, we’d nonetheless not likely know the distinction between these sub-modes. It’s all very minimal within the modifications they provide, however with the information in entrance of us, Unique is bog-standard 3°C: Sand Puzzle, with little when it comes to particular results. The Prepare mode then provides within the Rainbow, Bombs and Stone grains to complicate/ease matter, while that of + mode permits the display to increase, constructing the grain numbers because it goes. It will have been good for 3°C: Sand Puzzle to elucidate issues.

3°C Sand Puzzle review 3 — Mesmerising, however short-lived

A Vibrant However Quick-Lived Puzzle Expertise

We’d like a bit extra readability on what’s going on inside 3°C: Sand Puzzle, however that doesn’t cease it from being a enjoyable little color matcher, able to preserving gamers busy for an hour or two. Take into account a budget asking worth and you’ll perceive why this one is nearly value a glance. Don’t anticipate any longevity out of it although.