Game Reviews

Beyond Ynth

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Beyond Ynth

After so many platform-puzzlers featuring robots and children, it’s nice to see an insect in the lead role for once - even if developers are technically supposed to keep bugs out of their games. Thankfully, Beyond Ynth only has the right kind of bugs.

Krabl's puzzle sequel works because it has cute graphics and a simple concept, only faltering where the concept becomes a little bit too simple.

Taking control of Kribl, the ladybird star of the original Ynth, your aim is to collect diamonds that have gone missing from your kingdom. All the while you're trapped inside boxes of different shapes and sizes.

By leaning against the wall of a box you can tip it over and in this way roll from one side of the level to the other. The puzzle comes when various obstructions stop you from simply rolling onward. A ray of desert sunshine might come through a hole in the box and fry you, or an acorn might drop from the sky and crush you. An exoskeleton is evidently useless.

Throwing your weight against a wall means you can shift blocks and stones to create makeshift platforms and reach higher ground. But knowing when and where to tip the entire box is half the puzzle. You’ll often find yourself failing into a pool of lava after not thinking something through.

Within an Ynth of your life

This was a problem in the original Ynth because it meant you had to restart the level every so often because of an errant acorn. Here you have the ability to rewind time to any point using the L trigger, making mistakes much less punishing.

This tweak makes the game a lot more fluid and easygoing, which may be a good or a bad thing depending on how much you value a challenge. The puzzles aren’t always straightforward. There are enough baffling moments in the 80 levels to keep you playing for a while - especially when there are two optional diamonds to collect on every level, often with their own particular solutions.

However, there are times when it seems like all you’ve done is roll along and pass the level without effort. Half of this is down to the odd unchallenging level and half of it is down to having the Xperia Play’s controls speeding things up significantly.

These few easy levels don’t detract significantly from the experience. Beyond Ynth's quirky presentation makes up for its shortcomings. Take the menu song – a tongue in cheek celebration of phone games and all their silly simplicity (“Beyond Ynth! / Smash a snow block / Step on a ledge / Beyond Ynth! / Save the kingdom / Never give up!”)

If tests of logic and spatial awareness are your thing and bugs don’t make your skin crawl then you can’t go too far wrong with this sturdy puzzler.

Beyond Ynth

A little on the easy side of things at times, but it's long, quirky, and thoughtful enough to please anyone not put off by a constantly grinning creepy crawly
Score
Brendan Caldwell
Brendan Caldwell
Brendan is a boy. Specifically, a boy who plays games. More specifically, a nice boy who plays many games. He often feels he should be doing something else. That's when the siren call of an indie gem haunts him. Who shall win this battle of wills? Answer: not Brendan.