Game: The Packages
Genre: Strategy, Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Kasulo Game Studio
Controller Support: None
Price: US $3.99 | UK £2.89 | EU € 3,29
Release Date: August 22nd, 2022
Review code used, with many thanks to Kasulo Game Studio.
The Packages is a simple puzzle game that pits players against a fast-moving conveyer belt of boxes. In order to get the boxes to the right place, players will have to think fast and plan ahead.
The gameplay of the Packages
This is one of those wonderful games that introduce concepts slowly instead of front-loading the tutorial and overwhelming the player. As you boot up the game, the first puzzle is very simple: move a box from one location to the next.
Slowly, the game adds some interesting difficulty spikes to keep the game new and different. This includes ways to paint the boxes different colors, a limited number of times an arrow can be used, a bounce pad, and more. This minimalist game gives players simple pictures of what needs to be done in the upper right-hand corner and checks them off as they are completed.
In the upper left-hand corner, there is a menu button, a start over button, and ones that allow players to move the camera angle, zoom in, and more. The minimalist approach really works with the simplistic idea of the game itself; it’s very easy to tell what everything is going to do.
But the Game is Hard
The Packages is not an easy game. I’m not going to lie: I struggled to get as far as I did. Like a lot. I made it to level 27 after several hours of fumbling through the previous puzzles. It was quite the challenge, but the game doesn’t punish you for taking a long time to complete a level.
There is a lot of thinking forward, trying to guess how something is going to interact, and how fast each of those things is going to move. Players can speed up the game with the space bar, but there’s no slowing down once everything starts moving.
Did I mention that this game is really, really hard?
Sometimes, the puzzles would require some really challenging things like breaking one of the arrows, picking up extra time, or changing the colors of boxes a certain number of times. Once everything was combined, I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of possible outcomes that opened up.
The Packages is Simple Fun
The Packages is simple, it’s fun, but it’s not a game I would have picked up for myself. It’s not the type of game that I usually like; I enjoy relaxing when playing games and I found this title to be very stressful to play. That being said, I like it for what it is. The look is pleasing, the minimalist designs are easy-to-read and appealing, and the concept is solid and challenging without being impossible.
Conclusion
All told, this is a solid puzzle game with a unique concept. The tutorials are well-made and well-interspersed through the game to keep from overwhelming you. The only real negative point I have for this title is that it isn’t my type of game. But if you know anyone who loves a challenging puzzle game, The Packages is a good bet for a gift.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.
