Axona is a cube and grid-based puzzle game that asks you to deposit keys into locks to unlock a final portal door to escape the level. Your cube will faces containing glyphs on them which match glyph keys scattered on the floor. You’ll need to roll the cube over the floor with the right face to pick up the “key” and then roll it into the matching wall. Doing that will unlock the escape portal, but you might not find it as straightforward as you think.
With simple early levels to learn the basics, Axona teaches you how to roll around the grided levels, roll up keys and unlock the exit. Each level contains a crystal to win if you reach the exit in the perfect number of moves. This is thankfully optional, but it does provide replayability as you get used to Axona’s level design quirks. The quirk is that because levels are often quite small and narrow, if you don’t understand all the mechanics in a level, you can still brute-force your way through many levels by trying out the few options you have available. I resorted to this several times as there’s no level skip, or complete 3 of 4 levels to unlock the next batch. There is also no hint system either, so you are on your own.
Thankfully, Axona’s best strength is that while the levels are often small, they are varied and at times, tricky. You’ll quickly be introduced to glass floors that break after you’ve used them. Then there are teleporting blocks, rotating blocks, magnets, invisible paths, conveyor belts, and more key types to sequence. Axona doesn’t do anything new, but it does a lot of things well, and by the end of the 72 levels, it’s layered the mechanics on top of each other. Levels will have glass floors, a spinning grid square, some portals and a hidden path, and working out the order to get around the level is crucial. Seeing how many moves are required to meet the crystal goal can sometimes be a helpful hint, but often, it’s trial and error from your limited options, due to the tight level design.
Aside from a bit of a rollercoaster difficulty curve, my only mild complaint from Axona comes from its fixed camera perspective. Each level is viewed isometrically, and there is a peek button that turns the level around 45 degrees. This is to help players understand which cube faces are where to roll them into the correct keys. The game places an X-ray filter over the camera move, which makes it more difficult to make out than simply rotating the camera, though. Does it cause tons of problems? No, but it always took me a bit to adjust to the graphical swap. Thankfully, undo and restart buttons are also present for quick player corrections.
Axona is a competent, solid puzzle game that doesn’t try anything new, but does what it does well. The sleek graphics go a long way to selling its style and mood. Fans of abstract puzzles will find some fun here, but be aware that it treads a lot of well-trodden ground without adding new polish or flair.
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