At first, it's rather easy. You have a game panel of a few colored squares and, using color affecting tiles, your objective is to change your panel to match that of the target. Then it gets progressively more difficult. Josh Tamugaia's Iromeku is not a simple math exercise, it is a simple idea puzzle in which you'll need as much logic as trial-and-error to use and layer all the tiles in the precise arrangement to create an "iromeku" success.
While there is an apparent algorithm involved, one that's easily figured out through experimentation in the beginning, the solutions become significantly more elusive halfway through the 20 puzzle levels. A color guide helps but does not reduce the challenge while an assortment of atmospheric, electro-symphonic tunes keeps the experience just chill enough to lose a lunch break to.
I'm disappointed by this.
The "color chart" shows that every color is mapped to a number, and color combinations appear to simply be done via numerical addition (mod 10, when required). As a result, "red" (9) plus "white" (2) does not make "pink" (6), it instead makes "yellow" (1, since 9+2=11 and 11%10=1). This game is really math problems in disguise, not color problems.
I would find this game more interesting if it was truly hue-based, and not purely numerical.
This was cute, but the "Puzzle" of figuring out how the colors are controlled is pretty simple to figure out as soon as you open the color guide. Once that happens, the use of colors instead of numbers is more of an annoyance than an element of the puzzle. Having to keep checking the colors against the color chart made me stop playing before the halfway point.
The idea is clever, though, and the way you have to think about the position of tiles to get different color outputs is clever. If the game was remade with numbers instead of colors I'd be tempted to play through to the end.
A little too challenging to figure out the math algorithm, but I may come back later.
One game design issue: Why is there a submit button that I have to press? The check marks already indicate if I've succeeded or not. Once I get both checkmarks, why not just *automatically* say 'you win' and then *automatically* take me to the next level? The extra button clicking is wasteful and annoying.
Since I'm not mathematically inclined even the "color chart" didn't help. So, my guesses were trial and error which made all the overlaps a color problem for me, and a bit difficult on a few of the levels.
Grr. I'm mathematically inclined, so I was quite excited when I figured out the "overlapping" mechanic... but I'm also colorblind, so I can't actually tell which block is which number half the time. I keep mixing up 4 and 9, in particular. Why not print the numbers directly on the colored blocks, making the interface simpler and the colorblind-friendly in one fell swoop.
3/5. Good puzzles, annoying interface.
It's a good puzzle game. Once you understanding the what the color guide is, then the game is a game of addition. Good job. Refer: five nights at freddy's game demo.
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