You’ll often find me in the depths of Steam’s budget puzzle section, discovering either minimalist or casual puzzle games to enjoy. My latest buy is Place Icebergs Apart. It is a simple idea with a charming theme, and for less than £2, you can do much worse.
Place Icerbergs Apart presents each level in a hexagonal grid with various icebergs to be placed inside them. The icebergs are made of up hexagonal blocks too, but the clue to success is in the title. No icebergs can touch each other, and water must flow between them. Icebergs cannot be rotated either, so you’ll shift them around to make sure they fit the rules. I’m reminded of Nurikabe, where you create islands and rivers that flow uninterrupted, but Place Icebergs Apart tries a few other mechanics to feel different. Polar bears and penguins are introduced in pairs, and they must be placed one square apart from each other, as if waving from opposite icebergs. The last set of levels introduces an orca, which must not have any animals placed next to it.
By adding these news rules, the game gains better theming and a sense of purpose, but it runs into a different problem. The level designs are quite small and narrow, and as the rules are so exacting, the player only has a few options to choose from. This means that the 60 levels can whizz by fast, and I was done in under an hour. This included 20 “hard” puzzles, which didn’t feel hard often enough. Instead, the iceberg shapes were more irregular. This could have been more taxing if the levels grew in size but they barely expanded at all.
Whilst nicely themed, Place Icebergs Apart was so brief and straightforward that it is difficult to recommend beyond the casual, cosy crowd looking for a quick palette cleanser. I hope the developer expands on the ideas and themes to make a meatier game with some more mechanics, as I really liked the ideas here. I just wanted a bit more variety and challenge.
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