Puzzle games are one of the most wide and varied genres there is. From classics like Tetris and Angry Birds, puzzle games come in all shapes and sizes. Now, developer Furniture and Mattress are throwing their hat in the fray with their debut game Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. The game isn’t as complex or intense as other puzzle games, but Arranger is an absolute delight to play. Thus, let’s delve into what makes Arranger a darling little game.
From the moment you start Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, the game throws you into how it all works with the title screen being part of the game. Arranger has you playing as a girl named Gemma who has the power to move around the world via moving the world like a tile set. Thus, she’s not the only thing moving around as anything else in the row or column you move is also moving with you. There are things that can’t be moved such as monsters or rocks that will block your path and you will need to find another way around. This is also how you solve the game’s puzzles and interact with other characters. Though, some character’s aren’t the biggest fans of Gemma’s powers like a lady when you break her ladder!
The main draw of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is the story it tells. It starts like most RPGs would with Gemma ready to leave her hometown and discover the reason for her world altering powers. However, it grows into a story about Gemma wanting to find her place in the world, fitting in, conformity, and people living in fear. All these aspects are things Gemma encounters as she adventures around the world such as needing to progress but having to help a town reconnect as they let robot birds do everything and all stay home now. The writing is charming and the story is full of humorous moments that had me laughing at the situations. Arranger isn’t that long of a game either as it only took me about four hours to complete. Thus, I was able to stay highly engaged with Gemma’s story throughout the entire time.
The puzzles in Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure are not the most challenging things out there. They are usually just being either needing to get Gemma somewhere or getting an item to a specific spot such as to take out enemies or to open a door. If you do get stuck however, there is an option in the game to be able to skip most puzzles in the game. As aforementioned, the puzzley nature of the game is mostly used as a vehicle to move around the world. The world is a charming to explore and the art direction of the game is fantastic too see as the art is done by the artist behind Braid. The game fits easily and plays well on whatever platform you choose rather that be on console with a controller, on PC with mouse and keyboard, or with touch controls on phones.
There are a few boss fights scattered throughout the game. Most of these aren’t just attack the boss and take it out as they are puzzle focused first and foremost. These are the best and most complex puzzles the game has to offer, and you can’t just go ahead and skip these either like some other puzzles. Thus, you put your mind to the test and figure out how to solve these boss rooms before you are able to finally land a hit on the boss. I do wish there were a few more bosses scattered throughout the world for you to take on with more complex puzzles to engage with again.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is such a delightful little puzzle game that anyone is sure to enjoy. The world is fun to move around in (and move around) with plenty of little secrets to discover and puzzles to solve. The story is a charming tale of finding one’s place in the world and the short duration and beautiful art of the game keeps you engaged the entire time. The best part is that Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure fits perfectly on whatever platform you choose to play it on.
Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5