Schematic Void

What a silly and very delightful game! Schematic Void does not fit any one genre. At first glance, it is a 12-level puzzler which begins with a simple “complete the circuit” exercise. As you progress, the levels get a bit more complex. It is not that the circuits get more complicated. Instead, it is the odd circumstances and nuances that are added to each scene. The game shines with creativity as you stumble upon odd items, all of which have a purpose in the game. Be advised: Just because a level tells you it is “complete” on your first pass through, does not mean you are finished with it. Over time, you are provided with 4 tools: a grabber, a screwdriver, a pencil, and a magnifying glass. Once in a while, these tools engage in a conversation which will leave you scratching your head. Was that a clue? Or, just random chatter? Hmm… There are a couple of features that make Schematic Void player friendly. The shape of your cursor indicates which tool is active and it is highlighted when it can be used. There is also a hint button available on all screens and no penalty for accessing help. Towards the end, when I was circling through all levels trying to figure out what was next, the hint I valued the most was “you have nothing left to do on this screen!” Prepare to do quite a bit of level-hopping after you’ve completed all twelve. And, prepare to try all tools on all objects. In other games, this might have made me irritable. In this game, there is joy in discovering what has changed and then laughing out loud when the "Eureka" moment comes. Schematic Void is nonsensical but brilliant. The soundtrack consists of upbeat background music and sound effects. Over time, I admit that I took my headphones off and just enjoyed the quiet. I am not implying that the soundtrack is bad. For me, however, it did not add to the experience. If you complete the game and view the credits, then you should obtain all achievements. They tend to pop up at the most surprising times, and every single one made me smile. Your progress is automatically saved to a single file. This worked out perfectly and I have no complaints about the lack of an explicit save feature. I spent just over 5 hours and never tired of Schematic Void. If you are looking for an unconventional, self-paced exercise in creative thinking that will brighten your mood, then I highly recommend giving it a try. [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] if you enjoyed this review and want to see more like it.[/url][/quote]

Game is... fine. A lot of the puzzles just felt like I was clicking around trying to figure out what the dev wanted me to do next, very few good "aha!" moments. If I could give a neutral review I would, but the game just was not fun enough for me to recommend.

[b]Schematic Void[/b] is an original, intriguing, and unfinished puzzle game. Players must complete deceptively simple electrical circuits whilst finishing the work of the developer and gradually breaking down the fourth wall. It is a very enjoyable puzzle game and will take around 2-4 hours to complete. It offers minimalistic but nicely stylised visuals, a fun and somewhat frenetic soundtrack, and satisfying puzzles that belie their simplicity, working in tandem with the fourth-wall-breaking narrative to create a comprehensive and unique experience. Solutions can be tricky to deduce, but far from impossible, and a well-implemented hint system aids progression without detracting too much from the process. I’d happily recommend this to fans of puzzle games, especially those looking for something a little bit different. [b]WANT TO KNOW MORE?[/b] My full review of this game where I go into detail about gameplay, narrative, and styling is available on [url=https://indie-hive.com/schematic-void/]Indie Hive[/url].