Casualicious

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Strimko is a puzzle game that you might be able to recognize being derived from the popular past-time game Sudoku. It has numbers, a gridded board, and follows a basic rule that no number should be repeated based on a specific formation. Now, before anyone says “rip-off”, it should be mentioned that Strimko is a unique puzzle game all on its own. And as we explore it more, I bet you’ll know what I’m talking about here.

Like all modern casual games, Strimko also has a backdrop story to give the audience the impression of progression after racking their brains out in solving the puzzles. You play to aid the Princess Luana as she tries to save her planet from famine and drought. An object called the Astrolable will make the planet prosperous again; but before anything else, you have to find the Astrolable’s amulets, locked away in chests guarded by puzzles.

This will then bring us to the gameplay.

Strimko plays very much like Sudoku, so I guess Sudoku fans will appreciate the familiarity and added twists to Strimko’s gameplay. All numbers on each row should not repeat; this is the same for all numbers on each column. But what sets Strimko apart is the stream that connects some of the cells in the board. Not only are you going to follow the aforementioned rule, but also to make sure that all numbers on a stream won’t be repeating as well.

It is very ingenious actually, since the introduction of streams will open up a lot of opportunities for the player and puzzle-maker alike. For instance, it can serve as an additional clue, giving you faster means of solving the puzzles. All the same, it can also act as a whole new level of challenge, since confusion will play a major role when tackling most of the harder puzzles.

As a matter of fact, Strimko also introduces 4 different game types to choose from during adventure mode or through quick classic play in the archives. There’s the Zen puzzles, which is Strimko classic gameplay; Pave puzzles, which is basically the same as Zen but with a jigsaw puzzle mix; Fit puzzles, which will supply you with complete streams instead of usual numbers, and your task is to fit them streams correctly on the board; and Tri puzzles, which are twisted Zen puzzles with, well, a twist you have to find out for yourself.

All in all, it’s not just same Sudoku style gameplay you’re getting, but a lot more to keep you fascinated and grinding away through puzzles. Gameplay is simple and very easy to master. As you go through the levels and get more confused, you’ll even begin to make up your own techniques in order to leisurely finish each level.

One thing the game lacks is good sound. The graphics and environments are simple enough – that’s understandable; but without good accompanying sound, the game gets the feeling of being too bland. Graphics alone is not that flashy too, so it really won’t carry that missing element from the whole of the game.

Strimko also employs a replenishing hint system that will instantly answer a part of the board for you during each trigger. Since levels are not timed, it’s possible to finish a level without even thinking too hard on solutions. It’s a longshot but that’s not impossible for those who have really large chucks of time in their hands to waste.

Anyway though, I still loved the new twist in Sudoku-like puzzling that Strimko introduces in this game. It’s fun, it’s addictive and it’s challenging. Really recommended for puzzle gamers to get their hands wet on.

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