Axyz

Did you enjoy Kula World/Roll Away back in 1998? Then you'll enjoy Axyz in 2026.

I never played Kula World, but I'd heard about it several times and I thought Axyz would be a fun way to discover what this puzzle classic was like. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the 20 or so levels I played. I wish there'd been a demo to help me realize this wasn't what I expected. The level hazards (including spikes that switch back and forth in real time) and the limited attempts per level create a tension that I didn't find interesting. Most modern puzzle games just stopped including real-time hazards and allow unlimited undos instead. The level visualization tools are also quite lacking here (you can only look up, down or around you, with no way to see through platforms and no grid to help evaluating jump distance), so it plays less like solving interesting problems and more like completing a hide-and-seek collect-a-thon. Puzzle design has come a long way. Also, I liked the drum & bass tracks, but mixing them with synthwave didn't really work for me.

Vaporwave confusion Axyz is a vaporwave inspired puzzle platformer ball rolling game, however the fact that you're moving a ball is nothing more than an aesthetic. The main gameplay loop involves moving your ball across cube platforms to pick up some cassette tapes, keys, and spinning rings. To finish a level, you simply need to find all the keys in the level to unlock the end. If you want to complete the level fully, you need to collect every possible pickup. The only difference between the cassette tapes and rings is that you need a certain number of cassettes to unlock future levels. If you pick up everything in a level, you also get a little golden statue for that level. The main thing that makes this game difficult is the fact that you are able to rotate gravity based on where the ball is currently sitting. If you roll around an edge, you shift the entire axis of gravity, which can all you to jump to disconnected platforms you would otherwise have no method of access. You can also hit "X" on the keyboard to shift gravity 180 degrees to fall onto platforms above you. Combine this with rules on which edges you can rotate around, spikes traps, platforms that crumble…

This is a great 3D puzzler heavily inspired by Kula World, another great game. Beautifully simple gameplay with a good amount of difficulty and depth. The presentation is pretty decent, definitely has a good amount of charm to it.

https://youtu.be/xOyMsKqazFk Managing a multi dimensional maze is a complex puzzle that is executed with skill and creativity here.

iontach