Semblance is a 2-D puzzle platformer where you play as a blob with eyes.  You can run and jump and also dash in four directions.  You’ll use this dash move to bend and stretch certain squishable walls, and then you can use those walls as stepping stones or shields so you can reach your goals.  The game is available to download and play on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

You start the game in a hub world with different trees that you can climb into.  Each tree acts as a corridor with a chain of puzzles for you to solve.  If you can’t figure out one, you can come back to it later.  Your job in each section is to collect little glowing orbs, and must use the squishable blocks to reach them.  If you mess up, you can also use a burst move that’ll reset the blocks back to their original positions.  Once you exit the corridor, you can see which orbs you’ve collected growing on the trees.  Make sure to avoid things like green spikes, but luckily if you get hit, you’ll just start back where you first started that particular puzzle.

The game is interesting, but has a few problems.  It’s a bit buggy, and will freeze up for a second every now and then, and sometimes you can even get stuck in the squashable blocks.  Luckily if you press pause there is an option to reset the puzzle you were on.  Also, the game is rather vague on what you should be doing.  Sometimes this kind of open end gameplay is good, but here it’s a bit confusing at first.  But if you want a short game that tests your platforming skills and puzzle solving abilities, then you may want to check this one out anyway.

Kid Factor:

Nothing too terribly violent here.  If you hit a green spike, your slime turns green and lets out a little scream and explodes, but that’s it.  Reading skill isn’t needed, but younger gamers may get frustrated at the difficulty and lack of clear goals.  Semblance is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews