Sokobos review

Pushing, Building, and Crumbling

In Sokobos you take the role of Aeschylus, a hoplite who has taken an oath to single-handedly build a temple for Zeus. Because of this divine duty, Aeschylus is forced to leave his family and loving wife Berenice behind in order to complete this herculean task alone. Once his oath is fulfilled, Aeschylus will be granted immeasurable riches and most importantly a happy life with Berenice and their children. However, things may not be as rose-tinted as they initially appear, as Sokobos is structured as a tragedy and shares many of the essential tropes of Ancient Greek theatre. The game’s story is very simple and minimal but I surprisingly found it enjoyable and fitting to the overall experience. I especially liked how both the level order and the puzzle progression were directly tied to that story, allowing the game to flow smoothly. Throughout the 60 levels included in Sokobos you will be asked to assemble all the pieces of Zeus’ temple, from the gardens to the interior area, to the throne room, to the great statue, and beyond. Each level essentially takes the form of a mini jigsaw puzzle. And if it was not obvious from the name, Sokobos is a Sokoban puzzle game which means that the temple’s entire assembly process will take place in the traditional block-pushing Sokoban fashion.

The game starts with only a basic movement system but carefully introduces interesting mechanics throughout the experience such as deployable bridges, rotation panels, pressure plates, color dyes, different types of interactive obstacles, and more. If there was one phrase I could use to describe Sokobos that would be: “deceptively simple”. It is a game that looks simple, feels simple, and uses simple systems, but ultimately hides a great amount of difficulty behind its minimal character that will perplex even seasoned players of the genre. And while the game can certainly be frustratingly difficult at times, in my experience it primarily felt enjoyable and even relaxing on many occasions throughout the playthrough. I think that can mainly be attributed to its overall smart game design but also its smooth and responsive controls, as well as its swift undo options. What also surprised me was the level of possible interface customization which includes a colorblind setting with multiple modes for those who would need it. In my playthrough, I did encounter a few bugs, and while none of them were totally game-breaking, it felt like the game could have used some additional time for playtesting and refining.

The Sokoban Swing

Sokoban games have not only been a staple of the puzzle genre for decades but in recent years have also witnessed a surge of high-quality indie titles that have advanced this subgenre forward. Games such as A Monster’s Expedition, Stephen’s Sausage Roll, Baba is You, and recently Patrick’s Paradox, have not just been commercially successful, but have also been praised as some of the best and most innovative titles in the genre. And while these games share the fundamental Sokoban basis of pushing stuff around, they all present very different experiences through their unique mechanics, level design, and distinct overall styles. I believe it is therefore interesting to see how Sokobos fits into this greater trend as many players who may be interested in this title will be familiar with some of these previous examples. Unlike other recent Sokoban games that utilize more intricate and experimental frameworks, Sokobos decides to go old-school and aims to develop depth through simplicity. The game utilizes this traditional format as a foundation but introduces not only clever concepts but also multiple original mechanics that I have not encountered in any other title of the genre. Essentially, Sokobos exists in this peculiar balance between an old-school Sokoban experience and a more modern game that introduces new ideas and smart twists that further develop the genre. These elements make the experience feel traditional and familiar on one side but also fresh and distinct on the other.

Difficulty-wise, Sokobos will challenge even experienced fans of the genre, while more casual players may need even hours to solve some of the game’s more baffling levels. However, while challenging, the game is certainly fair. And I believe that fair is undoubtedly one of the greatest compliments a puzzle game can get. Sokobos does not develop its difficulty through confusing and vague systems but rather through clever level design and clearly explained mechanics. I especially thought that the game was at its best when it executed smart concepts in a seemingly simple manner. For example, there are numerous levels that initially appear incredibly obvious and straightforward but, once engaged with, they reveal a great amount of complexity and trickery. It is apparent that an extensive amount of time and thought went into crafting both the mechanics and the level design, as well as successfully making them work together.

The Visual Obstacle

Beyond these positive and noteworthy elements, the weakest aspect of Sokobos is arguably its presentation. For its graphics, the game uses 8bit inspired pixel art that, while very basic, certainly has its moments of charm. However, the main issue is that in puzzle games, the visual presentation is not just a matter of aesthetic impression but also of mechanical clarity and general comprehension. For example, one of the most important aspects of any Sokoban title is non-verbal communication. The way a game, through its environment, level design, as well as visual and audio cues, communicates its mechanics and puzzles in a clear and organized way. And while in some of its levels Sokobos does a great job in demonstrating its logic and concepts non-verbally, in many other cases, the presentation seems to work against the experience as certain puzzles lack a sufficient level of clarity and feel visually clunky. There are quite a few factors that contribute to this problem. One of them is the method the game uses to indicate the end goal for every level. The position each object needs to be placed on is marked through a semi-transparent graphic. And while that works fine in the earlier stages, it can get confusing in the larger and more complex levels.

Additionally, some of the object sprites could have either been refined or fully reworked to better stand out from the rest of the assets. I also felt that some of the color palettes in certain levels could have greatly benefitted from adjustments and further tuning, for both aesthetic polish and overall visual clarity. On the audio side of things, the sound effects are nice and snappy and complement the game’s smooth controls. Sokobos however uses commercially free music that you have almost certainly listened to a few times in the past which, while disappointing, is understandable for a solo project with a low price point.