I'm not into matching games usually, and yet I found myself having much fun with Kavel, and coming back to it repeatedly. The tetromino twist on the usual matching mechanics is instantly enjoyable. There's a cosiness to the mindset it induces, while the variety of the patterns keeps things stimulating. And the colorful feedback from the visual effects is impossible not to like.
So the main rules are easy to grasp. But there's more to discover, and I'd say that's where the game shines. Funky stuff happens when you start spawning bombs and matching them. In casual mode, there's no time pressure, so you can experiment and improve leisurely. (If you'd rather fill yourself with adrenaline, there's a frenzy mode capped at 90 seconds.)
I didn't care much about scores, but I kept seeing glimpses of better moves. So I kept pushing. As seamless as it is, Kavel actually harbors a sweet learning curve, from matching four dull blocks to aligning super bombs to sorting the board right in time for bonus shapes. It's balanced and nuanced and thoughtful. It's arcade design at its best.
I believe my first games in casual mode were about 15mn long. Now it's more about 40mn. Kavel does not judge. Take all the time you need to chart your next moves. Let yourself sink in the music. Sometimes it works out fine and matches flow into one another and it feels great. Sometimes you're down on your luck and you've got to fall back to more conservative moves. Either way, the game never feels unfair. It's just that rare kind of soothing challenge.
I'm not into matching games usually, and yet I found myself having much fun with Kavel, and coming back to it repeatedly. The tetromino twist on the usual matching mechanics is instantly enjoyable. There's a cosiness to the mindset it induces, while the variety of the patterns keeps things stimulating. And the colorful feedback from the visual effects is impossible not to like.
So the main rules are easy to grasp. But there's more to discover, and I'd say that's where the game shines. Funky stuff happens when you start spawning bombs and matching them. In casual mode, there's no time pressure, so you can experiment and improve leisurely. (If you'd rather fill yourself with adrenaline, there's a frenzy mode capped at 90 seconds.)
I didn't care much about scores, but I kept seeing glimpses of better moves. So I kept pushing. As seamless as it is, Kavel actually harbors a sweet learning curve, from matching four dull blocks to aligning super bombs to sorting the board right in time for bonus shapes. It's balanced and nuanced and thoughtful. It's arcade design at its best.
I believe my first games in casual mode were about 15mn long. Now it's more about 40mn. Kavel does not judge. Take all the time you need to chart your next moves. Let yourself sink in the music. Sometimes it works out fine and matches flow into one another and it feels great. Sometimes you're down on your luck and you've got to fall back to more conservative moves. Either way, the game never feels unfair. It's just that rare kind of soothing challenge.