Tumblestone (2016)

Tumblestone is a solid puzzler, packed with content whether you’re playing alone or with a group. While the core concept may not be the best in class, there’s certainly enough fun to be had here and a cool game to come back to every now and again to tackle a couple more puzzles.

Tumblestone is an excellent puzzle game that definitely deserves to be played by fans of the genre. Aside from maybe Puyo Puyo Tetris, you are unlikely to find a puzzle game that offers quite this much content and such an addictive nature. The lack of any online functionality is disappointing, though, and whilst the Switch's portability could have made this the definitive version, this odd omission takes away a nice feature unnecessarily. If you haven't played the game before, though, or aren't fussed about playing online – this is still a very solid choice.

All said Tumblestone is a very strong contender in the action puzzler space and sets itself apart by not trying to imitate what is successful and instead finds its own way, and it does so quite successfully. The emphasis moreso on puzzle solving is an engaging twist but that’s not to say that the game slows down or is meditative. In mutli-player mode I can assure you it is quite the opposite as the sounds of everyone in my family very rapidly pressing buttons to set up matches was very audible and other than that people generally made no sounds as they were that intensely concentrating on trying to win. As I said the need for precision and seeing patterns so that you don’t trap yourself are both absolutely vital and it makes for compelling gaming sessions. If you really love great puzzle titles Tumblestone is a title you won’t want to miss!

Although the port for the Switch mostly holds up with other versions, the lack of online play definitely makes this an inferior version. That aside, it still serves up reams of fun and is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a fresh take on a puzzle game.

Tumblestone deserves credit for being unique in a genre that often times plays things too safe and predictable.