Immerse yourself in the underground puzzle movement

Unmechanical is a stylish puzzle game set in an underground lair where the aim is to help a little helicopter complete a wide variety of tasks and games to unlock doors to different game zones.

Can I get a bit of help here?

When you start Unmechanical, there is no initial tutorial nor any obvious puzzles. This means I was sliding along aimlessly for a while trying to work out what this game was all about. It was pretty frustrating.

After a few minutes I discovered a puzzle. This first challenge was accompanied by instructions to help me complete the task that came in the form of a vague sketch in a speech bubble. I would have appreciated some more guidance or hints because often I couldn’t work out what the puzzle was asking me to do. That, I guess, is part of the fun.

The puzzles (I think they are better described as tasks) range in difficulty, starting with things like dropping a piece of rock onto a plunger to open a door, to memorising the sequence in which light-bulbs light up, and even finding a creative way to get a rock down into a small hole.

Once I had completed a few puzzles I started to get into Unmechanical and was enjoying using my brain a bit more than the average game – especially on some of the later puzzles that are very cleverly designed.

Tricky to get the hang of

There are only two real commands in Unmechanical: pick up and slide along. It sounds easy but I kept getting annoyed because I dropped a rock in the wrong place or couldn’t drag it to the right spot. It takes practice, but I didn’t have the patience for it.

Picture perfect

The graphics are the one area where I can’t fault Unmechincal. They are well crafted and intricately designed – the attention to detail is breathtaking at times. Coupled with eerie background music, Unmechincal allows you to fully immerse yourself in the murky atmosphere of the game.

Another nice touch is when the camera zooms in and out as you move across the screen, highlighting areas you should focus on and indicating where there might be puzzles.

Great game, but not for me

While I can appreciate how well thought out and designed Unmechanical is, it wasn’t a game I would chose to play. The concept is excellent, the execution is almost perfect and I can imagine the game will prove very popular, but, at the end of the day, I didn’t particularly enjoy it and wouldn’t keep it on my device. And that’s what counts.