LYNE Review

By , on January 13, 2014
Last modified 10 years, 2 months ago


LYNE
Download on the AppStore
5 out of 5

PROS

  • Challenging logic problems
  • Calming visual and audio style
  • Hours of puzzles to keep you entertained and confused

CONS

  • Though things get more complicated, the concept never changes. So, if you don't like it at first… 

VERDICT

With a perfect blend of intuitive and ingenious, LYNE is a lovely little logic puzzler that can make you feel stupid and gifted in a single moment.


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One of the keys to a good puzzle game is creating something that feels new, but also has an air of familiarity. It is a feat rooted in simple and intuitive design, a form which conjures the thought that, surely, someone must have had the idea already.

Thomas Bowker's LYNE does exactly this. And, no matter how hard we wrack our brains, we can't think of another game that does what it does. Or, at least, none that do it as well.

As the name suggests, the simple goal of LYNE is to draw a continuous line that links shapes of the same type together.

The basic grid pattern upon which the puzzles play of allow for movement along the eight ordinal directions. To complete each stage, you simply trace the desired line between each point. The only initial complication is that you can't visit the same shape twice, or allow lines to overlap.

The game's minimalist visual design, and panpipe soundtrack, provide a meditative feel to these early puzzles. But it doesn't take long for LYNE to completely destroy this illusion of calm.

The first level of difficulty introduces additional shapes, requiring two or three lines to be drawn to link each type of shape. At first this doesn't present any major challenge, but as the grid of symbols increases in number, so too do the opportunities for confusion.

The games deceptive simplicity is part of LYNE's appeal. Restricted grid sizes mean that you always feel the solution is just within reach. Then, just when you think you've nailed it, you realise its slipped through your fingers.

LYNE's final complication comes in the form of junctions, which require a certain number of connections to other shapes to be completed. These - combined with the multiple shapes and intricacies of later stages - form beautiful circuit-styled patterns once the solution is found.

With hundreds of puzzles in the initial game, and additional daily challenges, LYNE offers a brilliant dose of puzzling fun, one which is ideal for anyone who enjoys solving logic-based problems

Screenshots

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