A dollar isn’t usually the price you’d associate with buying a game on PC. Unless of course, it was on sale via the plethora of options available through Steam or Humble bundles. Dynetzzle Extended however, sports $1 as its usual price, putting it in the territory of an impulse purchase. Which is perhaps the only instinct-driven activity you’ll do when it comes to this game.
(See: The best PC game you’ve never heard of is on Steam sale for $1)
The premise is simple to start with. Since the numbers on opposing sides of a die add up to seven, Dynetzzle Extended has laid it out flat. You deal with just boxes with numbers and colors rather than a three-dimensional cube. And with your powers of deduction (and basic math), it’s up to you to fill in the missing numbers so that they add up to seven. Sounds simple? Of course it is. Or so you might think.
You see, a lot of it has to do with you imagining how the die unfolds in your head, and making sense of what number to put where in order for the opposing sides to hit the magic number seven. And it gets a lot more confusing when you have multiple dies to deal with.
Dynetzzle Extended is a tricky little beast of a game that keeps you thinking. There’s nothing in the way of visceral action or a narrative to keep you going. There’s no outrageous presentation or trance-like music similar to Lumines either. This is as cerebral as it gets, to the point where you’ll welcome the lack of timers, points, combos, and everything else puzzle games shoehorn in to keep you playing.
This minimalist approach extends to Dynetzzle Extended’s clues, or lack thereof. You’re on your own if you find yourself stumped on what to do next. The explanatory text is equally terse and could do with better elaboration. But unlike other puzzlers, you don’t feel a heightened sense of elation on beating a level. This probably has to do with the subdued music and distinct lack of on-screen signage that notifies you of your progress.
For a game made by a single developer, Dynetzzle Extended is an admirable attempt. But you can’t help but feel it lacks a certain amount of finesse that made puzzlers like Picross so darn good.
Nonetheless, it’s a focused, tight experience with a neat, minimal aesthetic. Though Dynetzzle Extended suffers from a few issues in terms of presentation, there’s very little else that should keep you away. After all, for the mere price of a dollar, you can barely go wrong.
Are you an Asia-based indie developer looking to get your game featured? Drop us a line at news@gamesinasia.com and we’ll get back to you.
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
