RIVER TOWNS

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There are times when I struggle with my reviewing style. Sometimes I feel that just regurgitating what the game is all about reads more like a blurb from the back of the game box - which, by the way, slowly but surely becomes a thing of the past. I am sure you don't want to read some dry smack facts about game mechanics; you can get that info from dozens of other rapidly typed out emotes on the big sites that need to chase the tempo of release. In other situations, it might be driven by a fact that the game tends to be... Abstract. By that, I mean it is all mechanics with a faint veneer of theme on top of it to make it look more palatable. More like a game. I wouldn't call it an issue - lots of logic games and puzzlers have to play it that way to sell the intricate designs in their conundrums!

RIVER TOWNS is one of such titles - see? Seamless transition. Bam, that's how I get you. The game, on the surface, is impossibly simple and absolutely nothing new. It's your run-of-the-mill grid-filling adventure where you operate with a limited stack of TETRIS-shaped blocks to fill in the required space. And gosh, there's also a point system on top of that, rewarding perfect placements and some adjacency bonuses. Of course, there are - it is the bread and butter of this kind of placement title.

If I sound dismissive, I apologise, because I quite enjoyed my romp through RIVER TOWNS. Sure, it might not be breaking any new ground, but it didn't wow me with some astonishing twist on the core mechanics. But it has ideas. There is definitely something special happening here, because I could not peel myself away from puzzle after puzzle. What sets it apart is quite a brilliant presentation and - something that a lot of other puzzle games struggle with, in my opinion - excellent pacing.

Grouping each of the factions for maximum score is the main mechanic of the game.

Pacing? In a stage-by-stage puzzle game? Am I insane? Yeah, it is not an action adventure where moments of lull need to be balanced with high octane action, but what I mean by pacing here is the steady flow of new 'obstacles' for us to overcome. Biome after biome, level after level, the game tosses new little challenging bits our way - trees that need to be surrounded. Geysers that need to be cracked open. Ruins to reassemble, pillars to smash to gain new grounds. Gold to collect and corruption to encircle before it spreads too far. It is a pretty constant influx of new little bits to play around and I appreciated them as they kept the fun fresh for the entire duration of the experience.

The challenge level also felt perfectly balanced. The game does advertise itself as a more casual experience, and that is true - but there are, let's say, optional levels that require a bit more focus and careful placement. As well as the simple fact that scoring a Gold medal in each level isn't always a trifle. There were multiple stages that I had to replay, sometimes even a few times, to score that coveted Gold and consider my job well done.

Another thing I must praise is the presentation. It could so easily be made as a very low-fidelity title, fully abstract in its delivery, but the RIVER TOWNS has vibrancy to it. Each color of the buildings we must match to score big points represents one of the tribes. Blue Freefolk with their mainly wooden structures and Viking-esque aesthetics. Orange Nobles with more Renaissance city vibe. Purple Priesthood with sharp angles, temples, and shrines. They each are gorgeously rendered and one placed, teem with life as citizens trod around in their daily business. You're making quite a living scene out there on the square grid of expanding greenery and cityscape. Add to that pretty solid, soothing music and stellar little sound effects for pretty much every action, and you get a well-crafted game that is a pleasure to play.

The little city is quite alive! Cute boats, bumbling citizenry, the soundscape fills the air with sounds of a thriving community.

If I had a nitpick, it would be the UI. It is not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a little rudimentary - especially on the menus and text boxes. And those boxes explaining various new bits really can be annoying at times. The whole way of checking your stack and also holding a single piece in reserve also felt strangely clunky and made me make some erroneous picks here and there. Again, this is nothing major and as mentioned - a nitpick, at worst - but it is still something I believe the devs can improve in the future title.

All in all, I had good fun with RIVER TOWNS. It didn't blow me away, didn't become my go-to relaxing puzzler - hard to dethrone the likes of DORFROMANTIK or the recently released sequel to ISLANDERS. But I've completed all the puzzles in about 5 hours and, admittedly, enjoyed that time well enough. If you're on the lookout for a colorful puzzler with fun aesthetics and va ery well well-balanced degree of challenge, you won't go wrong with this one.