Qrostar's free indie sliding block puzzle game Jelly no Puzzle is a game I want to call hard, but hesitate to do so since that's typically like throwing a bucket of chum into the water where smug comments from other players are concerned. The goal is simply to combine all the jelly blocks on each level by right-clicking to move a jelly once space right, and left-clicking to move it one space left. They can't jump, but they'll fall off ledges and can stand on top of one another. Once a jelly touches another of the same colour, they merge into a larger one and can't be separated, which means that they may not fit into places they previously did... or block the way for others. You can click the little arrow at the bottom of the screen to undo up to three moves.
If you've played Qrostar's Hanano Puzzle then you're already used to their way of bending your brain around what looks like it should be a supremely easy concept, and Jelly no Puzzle doesn't disappoint. The game has 40 levels and all of them are uniquely tricky... especially when the fixed blocks that can't be moved come into play. It's also easy on the eyes, with a colourful and cute design and a catchy soundtrack. Games like Jelly no Puzzle are proof positive that sometimes you get far more than what you pay for when it comes to freeware games, and with its devilishly clever level design and elegant execution is a sublime little puzzle that's more than worth your time.
Windows:
Download the free full version
Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
Sokoban with gravity.
Fiendish!
I agree Dora that it seems brutal at first, somehow it forces us to unlearn quite a bit of our puzzle solving.
I think it's to do with the flexibility of the horizontal/vertical/L shaped matches.
I liked Jelly no Puzzle better than Hanono puzzle. Jelly requires you to get all the jellies together in one place, so that helps to eliminate a lot of possibilities when solving it, whereas Hanono let you move pieces all over with far fewer restrictions.
I needed a hint for the very last level, but every other level felt just right for difficulty. There was always some obvious problem you'd come across while solving (a block that needs to get over another, a gap that you need to bridge) that you can focus your efforts on solving, rather than just shuffling blocks and hoping that you spot a pattern to solve it.
How did I miss this one seven years ago? Oh well. Fun game, good challenge. Does a lot in a small space with simple mechanics. Thanks, Qrostar.
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