A Timeless Challenge or an Old Relic?
What is a Hanoi puzzle, I hear you ask? Well, I didn’t really know myself before I started playing this particular puzzle game.
In the physical world, this classic puzzle is known as the Tower of Hanoi, or sometimes just “Towers” for short. The setup typically involves a wooden base with three rods sticking out. On one of these rods is a stack of discs of different sizes, arranged in a conical shape from largest at the bottom to smallest at the top. The objective is to move this entire stack to another rod, but with two strict rules: you can only move one disc at a time, and a larger disc can never be placed on top of a smaller one.
This deceptively simple game was invented by a French mathematics expert named Édouard Lucas all the way back in 1883. So, let’s see how well these century-old principles hold up in a modern video game.
Puzzling with a Peaceful Pace
I’m a fan of a good puzzle game on the Xbox. While Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match is the sort of experience that would typically find its ideal home on a smartphone or tablet, I find something uniquely satisfying in taking a break from the bigger console games, with their complicated mechanics and 80-hour story epics, to play something more focused and calming. It’s also nice to play something without any time constraints or pressure from a narrative.
As you can probably guess from the historical context above, Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match hasn’t got a story or cutscenes; it’s just plain, simple puzzle-solving over the course of 50 levels.
The gameplay premise takes the core idea of the Hanoi puzzle and applies it to a new format. You are presented with different coloured hexagonal blocks – yellow, pink, blue, and green – which are placed on a hexagonal grid of various layouts. In the corner of the screen is the number of moves you have to complete the puzzle in each level. This number acts as a “par” for the course; you can hit that exact number, or even go under it for a better score. However, you can also go over it without the game punishing you or preventing you from progressing, which is a nice, relaxed approach to the challenge.
Strategic Movement and Logical Solutions
The core idea is simple, but the rules of stacking are where the challenge lies. A small block can be placed on a medium or large one, and a medium block can be placed on a large one. However, the reverse is not true: a large block cannot be placed on a size smaller than itself, with the same principle applying to the medium block. Interestingly, colour does not affect stacking; you can place any coloured block on any other colour, as long as you adhere to the fundamental size principles.
Movement across the hexagonal grid is also strategic. Each move can be made along a clear diagonal, vertical, or horizontal line, much like the movement of a rook or bishop in chess, which adds another layer to the puzzle. You have to think each level out carefully to work out the best route through in the least number of moves, and there often seems to be more than one way to complete a level. As you progress, you might get to a point when you are completely stuck. Thankfully, you have the option to restart the whole level, or you can redo the last move you made, which is an incredibly handy option to have when you’ve just made a critical error.
Evolving Challenges and Missed Opportunities
Later on, Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match gets trickier, with larger hex maps to navigate. There is also a mechanic where certain paths are locked unless you unlock them by moving the colours in a certain order. You then get the added difficulty of having to position your coloured tiles on specific target locations rather than just anywhere on the map. It’s never impossible, though, and there is always a way through with a little bit of thought and a lot of trial and error.
I enjoyed this puzzle game, but I could have done with more than just 50 levels to play with. It also might have been good to have added some more gameplay elements into the mix. In the very last level, a new colour is introduced in purple, but we never saw it before and won’t see it again, which is a shame as it feels like a missed opportunity to evolve the gameplay further. I would have also liked a hint option, perhaps one that you could use once per level for those particularly tricky moments.
A Simple Puzzler That Gets the Job Done
Visually, the game is simple, but that is what works so well with puzzle games like this. Firstly, the menus are clear and nicely presented. Then, the levels themselves are easy to navigate and have a pleasant neon feel to the coloured tiles on offer. It’s not going to wow the graphics heads out there, but it does a good job and accomplishes what it needs to do effectively. The sound is the same, with a subtle score bubbling away in the background that you might not even notice is there.
It’s always tricky to write about a game like Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match because if you hate puzzles or brain-teasers, then there won’t be anything for you here. But if you like the little puzzle games that have been appearing on Xbox over the last couple of years – ones that are cheap and an enjoyable diversion – then this game could be for you.
If anything, it should make you curious to find out about the origins of this classic puzzle and how it led to the creation of Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match.
Important Links
Stack Your Way to Success in Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match – https://www.thexboxhub.com/stack-your-way-to-success-in-hanoi-puzzles-solid-match/
Buy on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/hanoi-puzzles-solid-match/9PG42X5DQDQG
