Hardcore roguelike puzzle – Twinfold Review

I want to start off by saying I didn’t love Yankai’s Traingle, though I understand why people did. While the mechanics were very clever and it must have taken some genius coding to randomize puzzles with a solution to every one, the annoying noises and horrible flashing graphics and lack of music were too unappealing to keep going after a hundred levels or so. Circa infinity used this hazy, flat design too. So I’m happy that Twinfold uses far more modern, organic graphics. It’s minimalistic, it’s clean, and while there’s still no music (though Kenny or whoever makes the trailer music is amazing), the sound effects are fun and satisfying. Plus, the game keeps Kenny’s signature infinite-replayability and original-and-brilliant design. It basically chopped off the things I didn’t like from his previous games and replaced them with things I do like. Like Kenny’s other games, the difficulty ramps up fast. While combining is equally as satisfying as in Threes, it’s much, much harder to do. The added undo button came as a surprise — usually his games are far more unforgiving. Clearly, this game is made for wider audiences and it shows by having an actual difficulty curve (as opposed to the wildly swinging difficulty of Yankai’s Triangle) and better graphics, in addition to the power ups in game. The haptics are extremely satisfying and there’s even a battery-save mode, though based on my screen time, there’s still a 2% battery drain per minute of gameplay. As for updates, this developer tends to not give any beyond bug fixes and simple difficulty adjustments. It’s fine because his games work even on the new iOS, though I imagine the screen size might be smaller for future phones. He will (likely) not add more power ups, nor a way to permanently progress. Regardless, like threes, this game can last months for the right people. If you like puzzles with a twist or want Threes with a flair, this is definitely the game for you.
Review by Dreaming of Wolves on Twinfold.