Game: Unloop
Genre: Puzzle, Arcade
System: Steam (Windows) also on Apple and Google Play
Developer|Publisher: Threetrees.eu
Controller Support: No
Price: US $1.99 | UK £1.69 | EU € 1,99
Release Date: September 18th, 2023
Review code provided with many thanks to Threetrees.eu.
Unwind and Unloop
Unloop is a relaxing puzzle game that feels ideal if you want to wind down one evening but still want to challenge yourself mentally.
The game features 150 single-screen levels where the goal is to remove all the blue portals without their blue lines colliding with each other. Controls could not be simpler. Using the mouse, you simply click on a node, which will then pull in the portal provided a network of white lines appropriately connects it. Multiple nodes may present on one level, meaning you must click the right order to solve the puzzle.
The first few levels are very straightforward. Just by clicking the nodes, the levels pretty much complete themselves. Before long, it drip feeds various new challenging mechanics, such as altering the nodes’ pathways by clicking specific junction points and portals and adjusting the lines from them. In time, you are dealing with some pretty complex puzzles that look like some over-the-top electric wire design, which will have you literally tracing the node paths with your finger to figure out the solution.
Unloop is a game about careful observation and decision-making. There is no timer, so that you can tackle the puzzles at your own pace. To help with things, you do have a beautiful ambient soundtrack playing in the background. If the puzzles get too much for your brain, you could always just lean back and meditate. Maybe imagine floating in space, and all your troubles are far away. Maybe it is just me that does that.
Make it More Zen
You lose a life if you pull in a portal and its line collides with another. Lose all lives, and you restart the level from the beginning. I quickly found this design pretty frustrating, and it only appears to serve those looking for a challenge incentive. It’s not so bad to start but as the puzzle becomes more complex, it’s not so appealing.
The ideal way to play Unloop in a relaxing way is to turn on unlimited lives so you can make as many mistakes as you want and figure things out at your own pace. Switching this feature on does not harm progress or gameplay, so you still get to enjoy the full game. After completing several levels, you unlock the ability to skip a level if you get really stuck, although this feels like a feature that should be available for all levels rather than earning it. The difficulty can spike pretty wildly. Usually, when a new mechanic is introduced, you’ll have a few easy peasy levels, then bam! You’re greeted with a complex one. While I appreciated the game doesn’t hold your hand, it feels it could have eased into some of the tougher puzzles a bit more.
Graphically, Unloop looks decent. I mean, it’s just lines set on one of three backgrounds of the player’s choice. It’s not exactly memorable or that interesting, but it effectively plays into the gameplay with the points that can be interacted with looking easy to identify. Unloop feels like a game that you’ll probably want to play alone, but I guess you could quite easily bring a friend into the mix to help you solve the puzzles. It may end up being one of those situations where you both point at various parts like you are trying to figure out the London underground map. So fun all around.
Steam Deck
Unloop is already verified on Steam. The game feels pretty good on handheld as you can make use of the touch screen to solve the puzzles, essentially mimicking the mobile version of the game. Certainly, one to chill back on the sofa with the headphones plugged in. Portable or PC, the game runs great.
Conclusion: Night In With a Good Brain Teaser
Unloop is tremendous value for money. For less than the price of a coffee, you have a fairly relaxing puzzle game that will keep you busy for well over ten hours. I enjoyed my time with this title when my brain was in the right state. But, when I wanted to just shut my brain off after a hard day of work, it was sometimes a bit much for me to focus on. When my brain was too fried, I still enjoyed just listening to the cosmic soundtrack. As a puzzle game, it feels unique and should provide many hours of brain teasers to enjoy in long or short bursts.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
If you want to try out the game, there is a free version to play on mobile, which lets you try out a few of the levels.