Alice and You in the Planet of Numbers (PC) Review

Mindware games have a very distinct charm and this game is no different. Upon booting up, players are greeted with a cheerful "Mindware" voice clip from Alice before being presented the nice framing narrative of the adventure. Main characters, Alice and You (or is it Yu) are reading when they discover a competition to win the challenge to get an unlimited supply of doughnuts. Nobody would refuse that challenge! So naturally they suit up and fly off to the planet of numbers to take the challenge. It is one of the best motivations for a game of this kind, the innocence of it is just unbelievably charming. The artwork feels reminiscent of '80s games with incredibly cute character designs and only a semblance of setting.

The design of the puzzle gameplay is excellent. It feels incredibly well thought out and implemented to be both as simple as possible but also to provide a significant challenge, forcing players to make considered moves and not to rush forward. To complete a level, players need to traverse the grid of numbers by picking which direction to move, the tile directly in front of Alice or You determines how many steps will be taken. Each tile stepped on will disappear, meaning it's entirely possible to cut the character off from progressing further without careful and planned moves. Collecting the hearts is the key to progress and high scores as these partially rebuild the ground and also place a new heart somewhere else in the level. It is surprisingly engrossing and can easily eat up hours similar to the way that Minesweeper did back in its day. The simplicity paired with challenge hits this amazing little middle ground where it's incredibly satisfying to play.

There are also multiple modes and challenges to attempt, each with their own leaderboard. The modes consist of Game A, Game B and Time Attack. Game A is a safer or easier version of the puzzle with barriers to prevent the character walking off the edge of the grid, similar to the barriers in bowling. Game B removes the barriers offering a higher level of challenge for those who seek it. Time Attack is similar to Game A but has a time limit and slightly altered visuals, this mode can increase the challenge with the added pressure. It's all very cool and fun to experience. Game A and B also have three sizes of map which offer differing challenges as well, meaning there is a surprising amount of variety in this little title!