Lost Yeti Review

By , on February 10, 2014
Last modified 10 years, 8 months ago


Lost Yeti
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Tight controls
  • Cute 8-bit art style
  • Varied range of puzzler mechanics

CONS

  • Time pressures ruin some good puzzles
  • The inability to move blocks at times breaks the flow
  • Ability to trap your yeti is infuriating 

VERDICT

Don't let the little abominable snowman and adorable creatures fool you - Lost Yeti is may be entertaining, but it's also devilishly hard, often to the point of frustration.


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Guiding a forlorn yeti home seems like it should be a relaxing and uplifting experience. Instead, what Gionathan Pesaresi's Lost Yeti treats you to is some of the most demanding and frustrating puzzles we have played.

Our furry hero is out in the cold and determined to get home. Even when he has nowhere to go, he just keeps on walking, only turning when he reaches a dead end. To help him on his way you need to slide a variety of blocks along horizontal and vertical lines, thereby changing his route and forcing him towards the desired destination.

The puzzles quickly demand a good degree of spatial awareness. Using the top-down perspective is vital if you don't want to box the yeti - and yourself - into an untenable situation.

But Lost Yeti's challenge doesn't stop with its devious mazes - it also throws in a selection of obstacles and monsters. These work in two ways: some force you to think about each move to ensure you don't accidently kill your cuddly ward, while others add infuriating time pressures.

The ticking clock that this second set of challenges creates often proved the final tipping point, and regularly saw us throwing ours phones down in frustration.

We may have been more forgiving of the speed challenges if blocks moved a little more freely. But whenever the yeti or enemies align with a line of movement, the blocks on that axis become locked in place. This proves the ultimate annoyance, as you see the answer before you are immobile in the face of an approaching death.

Lost Yeti has a cute retro art style that hides its fiendish challenge. It is entertaining, but be warned: even if you enjoy similar block-based puzzlers, this is a seriously testing Sasquatch.

[App Store link

Screenshots

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