Somewhere in my library is The Witness. It’s an acclaimed puzzle game and for a good reason. When I sunk my teeth into, it wasn’t even skin deep, though I got the premise. The Pillar Puzzle Escape (minus the colon) on the other hand is a game I had time for.
From Paper Bunker and Eastasiasoft, first impressions were The Witness, hence the opener, and that’s a good thing. The presentation is relatively minimalistic with simple textures, but vibrant colours and lush vegetation that make it a chill-out experience from the outset.
There’s no storyline or instructions either. Well, there were a couple of pointers, but they were very sparse. It wasn’t clear what to do at first, but the game’s running theme is to match colours on a grid system.
The Pillar Puzzle Escape Switch Review
The paragraph before was an inadequate explanation, but the challenge was spot on for relaxing to. It was rare to think about what to do. Instead, you go with the flow matching colours on a grid, then to another, through a portal or two then unlocking a gate.
I slipped back comfortably in my chair, solving puzzles like some prodigy. This isn’t because of my intelligence – I think I’m borderline abnormal, but because The Pillar Puzzle Escape has an almost meditative difficulty level.
You (me) find yourself in a trance, switching off to everything other than the patterns on the screen and trialling a few solutions here and there to unlock the next path. If this is what retirement and sudoku will be, bring it on.
A Quiet Mind For Problem Solving
It was all so pleasant to play a game where I didn’t have to think. Well, that’s a lie – it is a puzzle game, and you will have to locate number combinations and apply them in the correct sequence, but what I’m getting at is it’s all so zen-like without feeling remotely stressful.
There are no lives, no health or game overs – this is chill-out mode problem solving without the hassle.
At one stage, the piano score put me off and broke the spell and a little bit generic. But if it wasn’t for this distraction, I may have finished The Pillar Puzzle Escape in one sitting. The looks around the room suggested I’d been playing too long and time for Netflix.
Returning to the game, the music was no longer a distraction. It’s not something I’d listen to, but it was no longer removing me from my trance as I happily went back to sliding puzzles or watching sequences of colours like Simon, only over a grid.
A Quick Escape
There are no lives, no health or game overs – this is chill-out mode problem solving without the hassle. For this reason, I recommend it if you want something that doesn’t complicate with an over convoluted story, difficult controls or challenging experience.
It’s fair to say that you’ll finish The Pillar Puzzle Escape in one sitting, and while it doesn’t cover new ground or other that much variety, it’s a refreshing way to play a puzzle game with an appropriate environment.
Some of the 3D games on the Switch often look rough around the edges – Dreamo was one such title, as well as House Flipper. Both of these games are fine in terms of gameplay, but the visuals let it down. With The Pillar Puzzle Escape, I felt it wasn’t that much different to any other system.
The Pillar Puzzle Escape Review Summary
Netflix and chill? How about Pillar and … no, that doesn’t work. Netflix and chill take precedence, but if you want a legit chill session in a ‘safe environment’, add this to your wishlist, do some research – whatever it is you do to make a purchase. It’s not a game you’ll keep coming back to, but very satisfying nonetheless.
