Cadence is an adorable puzzle throwback to the good old days of the App Store

• Cadence is a simple, straightforward puzzler about solving circuits
• Wake up Ren the cat with neat tunes formed by individual blocks
• Create your own in sandbox mode!

In these days of fantastic, Unreal Engine-fuelled, high-fidelity ARPGs and RTS, it can seem strange to think of a day when constraint ruled the day in development. But in the case of Cadence, this is a throwback to the early rise of mobile and all the interesting and distinctive mechanics that entail!

With it being available to try for free (and a single purchase for the whole experience), the gameplay of Cadence is as simple as you get. Your goal is to wake Ren the Cat by charting a course through different circuits. This is where the title, of course, comes in as each block plays a different musical note to make short tunes as you complete each level.

Not only that, but sandbox mode promises to let you create your own music using the same systems as Cadence itself! And while Ren will offer their own philosophical musings on life when you complete a level, this can easily be skipped as and when you prefer.

Cat dance

I do fondly remember a time when more experimental and esoteric experiences were found on mobile. Sword & Sworcery, for example, which used the limitations of the time to its advantage. This isn't quite as impenetrable, but it's far more simplistic in terms of gameplay than, say, Arknights: Endfield.

Of course, this approach isn't unprecedented, as Teeny Tiny Towns and others like it show this is something of a back-to-basics type movement. I for one welcome it, after all, there's nothing wrong with simplicity, and that's exactly what Cadence offers to critics and players alike.

Speaking of puzzlers, though, you may be looking at Cadence less for its design and music and more for the potential challenge. In which case, you'll also want to dig into our list of the best puzzle games on iOS to find out what verified brain-busters we think will challenge even the most accomplished players!