Tiles REview

​Until Your Fingers Fall Off
By Brett Wolfe
Reviewed on Xbox One
​Released on February 20th, 2018 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC
Developer: ​Roman I XVI Gaming
​Publisher: ​Roman I XVI Gaming

Tiles is a fast-paced puzzler developed and published by the people at Roman I XVI Gaming and is comprised of 90 levels of increasing difficulty. Each level is constructed of a mixture of blocks of differing colors starting with a green square and ending on the red one. These inner platforms all act different, from the generic blue ones to the elaborate yellows and oranges. The layout of the platforms is crucial to the level completion and one mistake could cause you to return to the beginning. However, the timing is the biggest enemy at work here. Take too much time and you will fall into the pit of despair that you were trying to avoid from the get-go. So, take your time, but not too much as every move could be your last!

While the mechanics do not change throughout this game, the addition of more and more of the harder platforms changes Tiles from a fun and causal puzzler to an infuriating mess with more failures than successes. The easy blue tiles that are taken down by just standing on them evolve into a lighter blue that requires a second tap. These levels present very little challenge and are conquered at a relatively quick pace. However, the addition of the yellow and orange tiles that just disappear at random intervals can become the bane of your gaming existence. In addition to the 90 levels that are shipped with the game, Tiles provides a level creator that allows you to build the maps of your wildest dreams. You are provided with a variety of options between the size of the board and the tiles that you want to use. Be a saint or the maniac that you have always wanted to be while running your friends through your trials.

The visuals and soundtracks of this title are the very definitions of simplistic. It looks like this game was designed to run on a computer from the early 2000s, but not in a bad way. Tiles is an excellent game that provides a lot of content in exchange for only one square and six different colors. The visuals definitely are not something that you would expect from a game in 2018, but it was a choice that the developers chose. The soundtrack is in the same boat as it reminds me of elevator music, a monotonous tone that just plays repeatedly in the background. I hardly noticed the sounds throughout the game, to be honest.

I usually really enjoy puzzlers as they allow me to turn my brain off and just have at some mindless gameplay. However, Tiles provided me with something that I would never have expected, wrist pain. For some reason beyond my understanding, the game can only be controlled with the D-Pad. I understand that they are more sensitive than the thumbsticks, but why not at least provide me with an option to switch between the two. I could only play through fifteen to twenty levels before having to put my controller down for a while to give my wrist a rest. Nonetheless, there is nothing else to complain about other than the wrist issues and then a few moments of boredom where I just didn’t enjoy playing the game.

In the end, Tiles was a cheap and interesting puzzler with only a few bizarre complaints. The game only cost $4 USD, so if you have any interest in this game, I would just go for it. You will definitely get your money’s worth out of this game even if you do not play the actual boxed game that much. The community has built so many interesting maps that I would recommend this game solely on that feature. Just get the wrist braces ready in preparation.

*Note: A copy of this game was provided for the purpose of the review.

Final Score: 6.5/10

+Cheap Price Point
+Amazing Community Maps

-Average Sounds and Visuals
-Hard on the Wrists