Puzzle games seem to flood the eShop, whether on the Nintendo 3DS or the Wii U and I say keep them coming! I have always like puzzle games and especially ones that have a more intricate or well thought out design and Tetrobot & Co. has just that. Swing Swing Submarine did a great job in delivering a fun and cleverly executed puzzle game with a somewhat adorable main character. Well, the character isn’t really a person, but a Psychobot that was created by a girl named Maya to fix the “Tetrobot” that is malfunctioning. The story is told through a somewhat hand drawn art style that is perfect for the game, although there isn’t enough movies throughout the game to make them memorable.
The game starts out with you taking control of the Psychobot and moving it around inside the Tetrobot to fix the issues causing it to malfunction. Tetrobot & Co. is so well done with all of the puzzle variation within each level that you will constantly have to think over and over again to make through each room. The controls are really precise and have different options if preferred, such as using the touchscreen to map out movements, using the Wii remote to aim where Psyhcobot should go or by using the analog to coordinate a path. Honestly, I felt that the touchscreen controls on the Wii U Gamepad were best suited for me and made the game overly enjoyable from start to finish. Each level will have switches that have symbols on them, which will affect something else within the level that has the same marking on it. While navigating the rooms within each stage, you will also be trying to collect the three golden block pieces in each level. The golden blocks help to unlock new stages and areas to complete the game. Some of them are very tough to get and require you to redo a level once you’ve figured out the tactic at a later point in the game. Some of the puzzles require you to take blocks and absorb them and placing them within outlines that resemble the blocks. Swing Swing Submarine were very clever with making the blocks only cling to same type of matter and not with different types, such as wood will cling to wood and stone will stick to stone.
Tetrobot & Co. has some very quirky and relaxing music along with sounds that make the Psychobot seem adorable, especially when getting zapped from a laser and shuddering with a bzzt sound. There isn’t a lot to comment on with the visual style within gameplay, although it is very smooth and clean in it’s presentation.
The Recommendation
I absolutely love a good puzzle game and will gladly spend an afternoon trying to solve each puzzle. Tetrobot & Co. is perfect for any puzzle enthusiast or any casual gamer that likes a pick up and play type of game. I wish there were more movie portions showing off the awesome art style that is was presented in, but unfortunately they are rarely shown and that’s too bad. This title only costs $9.99 and is worth it with over 50 levels to complete and collectibles to get within them all.