Kenshō in IOS

★★★★★

★★★★★ I played 3 hours for the first time

I downloaded it because it was visually beautiful and mysterious. The instructions are minimal, I thought intentionally. Other games/puzzles which involve a visual logic are similar. It makes them charming. The guides are consistent, which is part of the challenge. What isn’t clear is where the game is ultimately going after it stopped the way you proceeded and introduced something which seemed to go nowhere. I addressed this today in a message to Kenshō. I only had one other occasion to contact them when I couldn’t solve a puzzle; the response was rapid and helpful without giving any hints or strategies. For anyone contemplating downloading this game, don’t let My most recent problem discourage you. It’s a delight to look at and a challenge as they introduce each twist. I don’t care for the music which is distracting, so I turn it off. I like the sound effects. I gave this a 5 star rating because the whole experience was mesmerizing. It is not easy to stop, but that is a problem in the discipline of the player.

★★★★★ Bought the deer on Etsy

Straight up this is one of the most beautiful puzzle games I've played in years. Reminds me visually of Blockwick, One of my favorites. And before you think this game is all looks let me assure you it is also a great puzzle game. It takes a pretty simple puzzle concept and leverages it into something special by giving you a reason to keep playing. At risk of sounding a little kooky I have to see there's a certain spirit this game that seems very sincere but is hard to describe. Lots of games try to look beautiful as part of their appeal but this one seems to have a real beating heart of it's own. I bought a beautiful stuffed deer they linked to in the app as well, and can't wait to see it!

★★★★★ It's cool but...

I find the game more frustrating than fun, and although the gameplay mechanics are interesting and cool, the structure of the game disappoints me: It relies on random generation. I love the puzzles that unlock the doors (those don't rely on randomness), but the main game feels luck based. This is why I heavily prefer puzzle games with specificly designed levels, rather than games like this and candy crush where random generation is a part of the game, and the levels are different each time they're played. It’s more of a strategy game, which isn’t my thing but that’s just me. If puzzles that rely on random generation are your cup of tea, get the game... but there are some really great puzzles out there that are so much better. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Graphics are very impressive here, music is nice, gotta say though.

★★★★★ Fundamentally Flawed Design, Improved!

Update: Of the solutions I listed below, #2 was implemented. Yay! However, it is still true that you can somewhat “muscle” your way through the game. There is no penalty to filling the board, so you can still win any level by repeatedly pressing one button until you get lucky. However, smart play just speeds things up. Old Review: This is a beautiful game with a fundamental design flaw: often times the best way to progress is to fill your board and “lose”. I’ll try and explain as succinctly as possible: 1) Puzzles have a set start place. 2) Each requires you to gain five pieces. 3) They get harder as they go and your board fills up. 4) If you fail, it restarts to puzzle 1 of 5. 5) However, you don’t lose any collected pieces! Therefore, it’s boring but possible to progress like this: 1) Get a piece. 2) Fail on purpose. 3) Get that same piece again. -repeat until done Possible fixes: 1) Lose collected pieces: players must collect all five without failing. 2) Randomize the start of each puzzle. 3) Add an achievement of some kind for finishing without losing. This game is artsy enough, one of those fixes may be present but invisible to me at this point.

★★★★★ I like this game

Fun game. Once I moved up a few levels it became kind of tricky, but I started to pay attention to all the other squares moving around and it became easier to figure out. I'm not done yet and look forward to the rest of the puzzles in this game. Without knowing all the mechanics there is still a lot randomness in the game. In my opinion. Any fun game. Or game I'm interested in playing takes a bit of a learning curve or skill, but also mixes a bit of the unknown into it. The random surprise factors. In my opinion. It a balance of these two aspects that makes a game fun to play. A balance of skill mixed with the unknown.

★★★★★ Okay

It is a super swell 3s game but it would’ve been better if they’d left out the fancy cut scenes, went for a wee bit more minimal approach and made it free...but then there would be ads - total drag - but free is THE magic word, doesn’t matter who you are. The super rich are some of the scroogiest (to use a seasonal metaphor) most cheapass tight mf’s you’ll encounter...funny enough. That’s mainly why they’re such terrible terrible people. When money means more than life, explicitly human life, then one should make arrangements to have all of their assets to go to worthwhile sources and donate their remains to organ transplantation and universities anytime before they find it irresistible to end their life. 😀

★★★★★ Started out fun then got tedious

This game started out fun but then became tedious and boring. While there is concept of parts and keys you basically have to solve 25 of the same puzzle per level, and each level is a variant of the prior. I found playing early levels fun, until the “random” level kicked in, which removes a lot of skill. Then the “force field” levels really bored me because there are long sequences of fixed moves required and if you fail you start over. The levels aren’t different enough to keep my interest and long sequences of moves over and over just aren’t fun for me at least. The little movies between levels are creative but they have nothing to do with the levels. Disappointed to say the least.