A Relaxing Escape Through Puzzle-Solving
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that life is hectic, to say the least. This is one reason why video games appeal to me so much, because they provide an escape. However, Sizeable aims to go one better and chill you out at the same time.
Sizeable is a charming, calming puzzler that is built around a simple core mechanic. Perhaps you’re playing as a god, because you’re able to shrink and grow numerous objects within each diorama. A world made small, transformed into your personal plaything.
Shrinking, Growing And Solving Puzzles
Your aim is to find three hidden objects in each stage that look like stone pillars. You’ll need to find them all to progress, but there’s also an adorable little turtle to discover within each diorama too. Your camera is fixed, but can rotate 360 degrees to help your search. Nooks and crannies can only be seen from certain angles, and this is often where you’ll find what you’re looking for.
When it comes to the gameplay, It’s as simple as that. Sizeable is clever at times, although there are occasions where you’ll be resizing items at random in the hope of a lucky breakthrough. Symbols that act as hints can be toggled on or off which point you in the right direction.
However there are plenty of genuine lightbulb moments that make solving the puzzle that little bit more satisfying. At its most clever, Sizeable lets you play around with the weather to manipulate the elements, as well as time itself.
A Variety Of Dioramas And Secret Levels
There are 39 dioramas to play, as well as a handful of secret levels to unlock. Sizeable has a pleasing variety of dioramas and several nods to world famous landmarks. Freezing cold wastelands, jungle tropics and even space stations are all included in Sizeable. A personal highlight were the crazy golf style puzzles, in which you need to guide the ball to its destination.
Once you clear the main game and find all the turtles, the first secret level will unlock. Once you complete that, you may be scratching your head as to why the next one hasn’t sequentially unlocked. Well, Sizeable doesn’t give up its secrets so easily. Gaining access to the other levels requires specific triggers from the main set of dioramas. Each has a symbol which acts as a hint. The fact you can manipulate items on the home screen is your first clue…
Overall the mechanics in Sizeable work well, but I did encounter the odd glitch. For example in the Rapunzel level, picking up the pillars to release them from their hiding place and then putting them down made them completely disappear. Instead, I had to drag and drop them onto the target square to avoid restarting the level all over again. This happened a few times, where the pillars vanished into the environment never to be found again (well until a level restart at least).
A Simple But Satisfying Puzzler
Part of why Sizeable succeeds as a relaxing experience though, is that there’s very little pressure on the player. It’s not particularly difficult, despite there being a few moments which may leave you stumped for a short time. What also helps is the cute, colourful visuals backed with a relaxing stripped back piano soundtrack. This really does sound quite beautiful, and I genuinely felt more relaxed after playing. Not too many games can claim to do that.
Sizeable is a simple but satisfying puzzler which will help you escape the trials and tribulations of modern life, for a short while at least.
Important Links
Tiny Changes Lead To Big Puzzle-Solving Fun In Sizeable – https://www.thexboxhub.com/tiny-changes-lead-to-big-puzzle-solving-fun-in-sizeable/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/sizeable/9P03G4S6G41T/0010
