Game: Active Neurons
Genre: Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, Console and Mobile)
Developers|Publishers: Nikolai Usachev |Sometimes You
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US E |AUS G
Price: EU €4.99 | USA $4.99 | AUS $7.50| CA $6.60| UK £4.49
Release Date: 29th April 2020
Review code used with many thanks to Sometimes You
Developer Nikolai Usachev brings Active Neurons to the Nintendo Switch after it was originally published for PC through Steam on October 15th 2019. Now it’s been ported it to PlayStation 4, PSVita and Xbox One and of course, the Switch.
Power those Neurons
In Active Neurons you, the player, are the power that activates the neurons, that’s the little glowing white power square. It’s a pretty simple premise as you’re tasked with getting from A to B in a maze-like level without dying, avoiding obstacles and manipulating other blocks to reach the neurons to charge them and exit the level.
You can move the white square, up, down, right, and left. The square will move across the level in a straight line when you touch the A button and it doesn’t stop moving until it hits a wall or obstacle. You can’t stop the square in mid flow once it starts moving nor can you change the direction of the square once it’s moving. This is where the puzzles aspects of the game come into play, as you plan out how to get the square to the neurons and exit the level.
Avoid the Obstacles
As with most puzzle games the first few levels you encounter are simple enough. And as you progress through the levels the challenge racks up as you would expect. But it takes a little bit of forward planning and some thought to move your little white power square around the levels, activating the Neurons of which there can be more than one on each level.
You will have to avoid various obstacles as you make your way around the maze, most of the obstacles come in the form of a static red blocks which are placed strategically around the maze. Hitting one of the red blocks results in instant death for your little power square and it’s back to the start of that level.
Other blocks come into play such as teleportation blocks, gates and more must be overcome in order to complete each level. As well as obstacles that destroy the white power square as it moves around, there are friendly obstacles which help in solving the puzzle, these come in different coloured squares. Like the green square which you can hit to move it into place to help change the direction of the white power square. There are also moving pink square which move up and down or left and right and it’s up to you to get your timing right to get past them. If you collide with them again it’s instant death and restart the level.
Short Levels
Since the levels are short restarting a level isn’t much of a hardship, and if you do end up stuck you can press the Y button to reset the puzzle to the start. There isn’t a time limit and no penalty for getting it wrong. In fact, if you’re really stuck in how to proceed, you can press the X button and you’re shown how to solve the puzzle. All you have to do is remember the moves and copy them. This feature would be handy for children to use when playing the game, but for die-hard puzzle fans it’s a nice option to have, but one they might not feel like using as it does show the complete solution to the puzzle.
Active Neurons puzzles are laid out within each section of the brain, each section has 10 puzzles and once you have completed those puzzles the corresponding area of the brain lights up. In the second area of the game you move through the sections of the body, in all there are 120 logical puzzles to finish with new mechanics being introduced every 10 levels as you progress through the brain and body.
Visuals and Controls
If you’re looking for triple A graphics you won’t find it in Active Neurons as this is a game where the quality of its puzzles mean more then the look of them. I do think the game looks great with clean simple lines and a clean menu. The gentle eerie music playing in the background as you complete the puzzles is calm and relaxing and a perfect match for the on-screen action.
Controlling your little white power square couldn’t be easier, a few button presses and the joy stick are all you use and everything works well. The developers have also added support for colour blindness to Active Neurons which is a brilliant idea and something I think that more development teams need to take colour blindness into account when they are developing their games.
Conclusion
Active Neurons is a neat wee puzzle game, with quite a few hours of gameplay for the price of a few pounds in the eShop, you can have a good few quality hours of puzzling fun.
I don’t think there would be much replay value in the game as once you have played it and if your lucky to have a good memory you will remember how to complete the puzzles. But since it’s such a reasonable price point you do get a lot of puzzles for your dosh. If you’re looking for a puzzle game to play in between something more detailed or just a few hours of puzzling to activate those little grey cells then Active Neurons could be just what you are looking for.
Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot 