Game: Square Logic
Genre: Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: New Dawn Game Studio
Controller Support: Full
Price: UK £2.49 | US $2.99 | EU € 2,99
Release Date: December 14th, 2023
Review code provided with many thanks to New Dawn Game Studio.
Square Logic is a very simple yet challenging puzzle game from New Dawn Games. It’s something of a mix of Sudoku, Tetris, and wood block puzzle games.
How to Play Square Logic
The rules of how to play Square Logic are fairly simple; you are presented with a bunch of squares with numbers in them. There are the easiest levels of puzzles: the 5×5 grid, then medium (7×7), hard (10×10), and challenging (15×15). In order to progress from one level of difficulty to the next, you need to complete at least 25 of each kind of puzzle before it.
If Square Logic gives you a three, a block of three needs to be drawn to include that 3, but they can be any three blocks in a row. So you need to click and drag the mouse in order to draw a line across the three squares that those three need to encompass. Blocks can be in a row, or they can be squares or rectangles of tiles that add up to the number in question.
In spite of this system being so very simple, I’ve never seen this exact idea before, and I think it’s quite interesting. As far as I can tell, this is a pretty original idea in the realm of the block puzzle genre.
Loads of Polish
For a $3 puzzle game, Square Logic has a whole lot of polish. The transitions between screens are bouncy and pleasing, the music (there are three songs to pick from) is nice without being intrusive or annoying, and the sound effects are kind of generic but fine. There are a ton of options considering how simple of a game Square Logic is.
There are a whole bunch of available languages, three music choices, separate music and sound effect volumes, color palette changes, dark mode, and several other items to make things a little easier or a little more challenging.
The level-select screen is really minimalist but really nice to look at and choose from. When you select a color from the options menu, it changes the colors of everything in the game, including the level select screen, the options menu, and the puzzles themselves. Each of the three color schemes read really well, and they are shades of the same color, making them colorblind accessible as well.
The Pros and Cons of Square Logic
Square Logic is fun, unique, and polished in a way that I really enjoy. I like the puzzles; they begin very, very easy and slowly ease into more difficult territory, allowing your brain to take in all the ways numbers can be encapsulated. While I usually dislike it when a game locks me out of the more difficult puzzle, I think I would have panicked if this was the first puzzle I had seen when I opened Square Logic up:
One weird thing that really bugged me is the Dark Mode. I’m usually a huge fan of Dark Modes; most of my applications have been switched over the moment this mode is offered. But the Dark Mode in Square Logic is pretty terrible. While the Light mode has a beautiful ivory/sepia tone with the color of your choice for the puzzles, Dark Mode makes everything harder to read and ugly.
The tones are brown and darker brown instead of greys and blacks, as I expected, and it makes the color pallets of the puzzles look muddied and gross. Check out the Dark Mode look below to see what I mean:
Conclusion
There is almost nothing to complain about with this game. Square Logic has a lot of polish, good music, fluid action, and a fun premise. The colors are (mostly) pleasing, and the look of it is gorgeous. It feels unique and original, and I really like puzzle games like this. You really can’t beat it for $2.99; I can’t wait to finish up all the puzzles for myself.
That being said, the Dark Mode was a massive disappointment. I don’t think I would have noticed as much if this game hadn’t been as polished as it is, but Dark Mode just seems like an afterthought. Overall, though, Square Logic is incredibly fun, wonderfully put together, and just a great game. Not to mention a great deal for the number of puzzles you get. If you love block puzzles like Tetris or Woodoku, I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest Square Logic to you as well.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up:Â
Note: Since this review was published, the developer has taken on board the feedback about the dark mode; they have reworked the colours using shades of grey, which is much better and have updated the game on Steam.