The Shape of Things, an upcoming casual puzzle game from developer Hyper Three Studio and publisher Maple Whispering Limited, will officially launch on May 26th, 2023. It will be available on PC via Steam, where users can add it to their wishlist today.
There’s no word on plans for supporting other platforms just yet. You can watch the full release date trailer on the Hyper Three Studio YouTube channel here:
The Shape of Things functions very much like an old school jigsaw puzzle. It’s a meditative experience fueled by the joys of restoration, accompanied by some serene music.
In fact, the puzzles themselves also appear to be surprisingly simple in today’s trailer. To the point that they barely qualify as puzzles, and may ultimately be best for younger audiences. That might disappoint players who were hoping for something that would be challenging enough to keep your mind busy now and then.
However, there is still enough here to win over fans of casual gaming. The art design is definitely cute and colorful, with a solid variety of worlds. Each of the environments are distinguishable enough, but share the same softness and coziness.
Inspiration from the Rubik’s Cube also leads to some unique turning and satisfying click effects. The models include some fine details, and the official Steam page notes that players will be “rotating, panning, or scaling” to solve puzzles. One can’t help but wonder if it’d be beneficial for each puzzle to add just a few more pieces to play with.
There is a central mechanic based on capsule toys, which is a creative and nostalgic approach. This innocent game feels easy to pick up, then put back down during a busy day, and that may be enough.
You can read more about The Shape of Things, Hyper Three Studio, and other upcoming indies by checking out the rest of our news section!
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