Axyz

I never played Kula World, but I'd heard about it several times and I thought Axyz would be a fun way to discover what this puzzle classic was like. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the 20 or so levels I played. I wish there'd been a demo to help me realize this wasn't what I expected.

The level hazards (including spikes that switch back and forth in real time) and the limited attempts per level create a tension that I didn't find interesting. Most modern puzzle games just stopped including real-time hazards and allow unlimited undos instead. The level visualization tools are also quite lacking here (you can only look up, down or around you, with no way to see through platforms and no grid to help evaluating jump distance), so it plays less like solving interesting problems and more like completing a hide-and-seek collect-a-thon. Puzzle design has come a long way.

Also, I liked the drum & bass tracks, but mixing them with synthwave didn't really work for me.