Nova-111 (2015)

Nova-111 is a fun turn-based puzzle game that looks super cute and works your brain but can feel slow and repetitive after a while.

Melding real-time and turn-based mechanics cannot be easy, but Nova-111 does it deftly, with its gameplay being the top priority. Unfortunately, this interactive puzzle game has no story or substance to make it feel like more than a collection of mini-games.

At its core, Nova-111 is a strategy adventure game about a small ship, its amusing guide, and the pair's mission to fix space-time. Players can find secrets hidden behind suspicious rocks to get upgrades and rescue their fellow scientists in each area. There are a few minor issues that players may face when trying to move quickly in certain levels, but there aren't any major problems with gameplay. Nova-111 is short but fun to play, and it offers some difficult puzzles for players to solve.

While it gets off to a bit of a light start, Nova-111 is the sort of game that'll sneak up on you with its challenge as it continues to add more complicated enemies, environmental threats, and varied tools to help you survive the further you go...

Nova-111 is quite a treat of an indie and I'm happy that it's finally available for Switch. Exploring its alien worlds as you outsmart all sorts of tricky foes and progress past seemingly impossible situations makes for some rewarding Mystery Dungeon-like gameplay.