3°C: Sand Puzzle Review | TheXboxHub

A Vibrant Cascade or a Sandy Snoozefest?

For years, the KEMCO crew have seemingly centered 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 with out a new KEMCO RPG for us to slather over.

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

You gained’t come to three°C: Sand Puzzle pondering that that is one other RPG. The secret alone just about particulars what’s on provide right here – a sand puzzle during which you’re tasked with clearing a single display screen scene of a mess of grains of sand, matching a number of colors as extra randomly drop from the sky. With just a few totally different recreation 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.

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, might nicely see enjoyment wane. And there’s little doubt that it’s not essentially the most aesthetically pleasing of video games both, particularly within the fundamental menu system that holds issues collectively.

What you can find right here although is a specific amount of addictive high quality, as you look to click on grains of sand away from the display screen, all earlier than extra drop into play. See, while it’s good observe to go looking massive blocks of the identical color, with linked grains being whisked away with out 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 screen, solely pushed again by shifting large swathes of grains in a single large 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 resolve to make use of, will begin to come to fruition for the board you’re on.

Bombs, Rainbows, and Recreation Modes

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

With out them, a spherical in 3°C could 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 — Varied visible kinds are good

It’s good that KEMCO have included just a few totally different recreation modes. Switching up the issue, from Straightforward to Regular to Laborious, could be completed by way of the menus, as can altering the easy visuals by way of 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 Basic 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: Organize, Authentic after which + modes for every. .

The issue is, we’ve sat down and rinsed 3°C and these sand puzzles for just about every little 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 probably not know the distinction between these sub-modes. It’s all very minimal within the adjustments they provide, however with the information in entrance of us, Authentic is bog-standard 3°C: Sand Puzzle, with little by way of particular results. The Organize mode then provides within the Rainbow, Bombs and Stone grains to complicate/ease matter, while that of + mode permits the display screen to increase, constructing the grain numbers because it goes. It will have been good for 3°C: Sand Puzzle to clarify issues.

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

A Vibrant However Brief-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 retaining gamers busy for an hour or two. Contemplate a budget asking value and you’ll perceive why this one is nearly value a glance. Don’t anticipate any longevity out of it although.