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A smart turn-based puzzle dungeon-crawler, but it doesn’t necessarily break new ground either
When it comes to puzzle titles, and there are a ton of them on Switch, I’ll admit that one of the styles I’m the least excited to see are box pushers because there are simply already more than any system needs. Of course, if you’re able to take a base like box pushing and then layer different elements onto it… then perhaps you could have something worthwhile. One method I’ve seen a few times is to combine some sort of dungeon-crawling into the mix, usually with some enemies that you’ll need to deal with, though still with a core relying on you making smart moves and making an effort to have a plan for success the further you get.What’s great is that Prune & Milo sort of takes it a step further, or at least brings along a bit more variety, as you won’t always be playing with the same character and the same abilities. Taking control of Prune, Milo, and two animal helpers, the stage is set for a pleasing degree of variety. In general, the focus in each of the game’s 70+ levels is to successfully navigate to the exit while typically dealing with a few enemies of some sort, being careful to keep an eye on the counter over their heads telling you how many moves you have until they’ll start coming after you again.This periodic pause in their movement is what opens the door to you making your plans for how to deal with them and when. Will you try to get them out of the way quickly, make a move on the different bonus crystals you have the option to collect, or perhaps if you set things up properly you’ll set a trap for them on their next move. In general, what’s nice is that there isn’t all that much pressure for perfection. There are bonuses for things like completing the stage under a certain number of steps, but in general there’s always a little slack so if you’re a completionist you won’t be cursing any small mistakes you make. Instead it feels like these goals are there to encourage you rather than being overly strict and punishing you instead.All of this put together makes for a pretty pleasant, even if perhaps a bit visually simple, puzzling adventure of sorts. What’s interesting to me is that it occupies an odd sort of middle ground by being quite a bit more complex than the average puzzler, but it also doesn’t veer into territory where it’s always demanding a perfectly-executed run. This makes the experience feel more casual, encouraging some experimentation, and honestly a bit more fun as well in the process. If you’ve been looking for something a little different, approachable, and priced pretty reasonably (especially on a sale) it somewhat stands in a class all its own on the system.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.8]