Nerd Girl Thoughts

Developer: Sander Ambroos
Release Date: March 19, 2021
MSRP: $9.99

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I like quirky little puzzle games, but I have to admit, I very rarely just buy quirky little puzzle games. Sizeable was part of the Yogscast Jingle Jam bundle from 2021. This particular bundle was unique in that developers could choose to de-activate their keys after a certain date, which led to me redeeming more titles than I normally would have, and that, my friends, is how this game ended up in my library without me having any recollection of it whatsoever.

Regardless of how I ended up with this one in my library, it fit neatly into the project window, and it’s a genre I enjoy, so I gave it a whirl. There is one very basic tutorial level that covers the controls, and then you are completely on your own. In most levels, only a handful of things can be moved, but many things can be sized up or down to change the landscape and unlock the pieces you need to complete the level.

The UI is almost non existent – the only clues to where you can find the three pillars you need to move past a given level are in the upper left hand corner of your screen, and some are far more obtuse than others. You can spin the puzzle around, but you can’t tilt it, and the only way to determine what you can interact with is to try it out.

There is also a bonus turtle hidden in every level. You can progress to the next puzzle without finding the turtle, but a quick scan of the achievements indicates that if you want to unlock the “secret” levels, you better find all the turtles. I missed one in an early level, but since you mostly need to play with everything anyway, you’re likely to discover the majority of them without too much extra effort.

The music is pleasant enough, but there aren’t really any audio cues you’d miss out on if you decided to play while listening to your own music or a podcast, or watching something on a second monitor. It is a very pretty game, and the manipulation is smooth, making it pretty clear what is affected by whatever you’ve just grown, shrunken, or moved. The levels – thankfully – are not timed, although if you’re looking for some extra challenge, there is an achievement for that.

There are 34 levels in the main game, and playing for just over an hour I completed 16 of those. Difficulty seemed pretty variable, rather than steadily increasing. Some levels I zoomed through. Some I stared at blankly for several minutes, sure I had touched everything and unable to figure out what I was missing, but none felt too challenging or unfair.

That said, this game might prove frustrating for completionists, since there are several time-sensitive achievements, where levels are only available during a few days over the course of a year, as well as the reset to speedrun achievement pictured above. There have been several free updates to the game, adding additional levels, which is nice because it gives you a reason to go back after you’ve finished. Unless you have a really excellent memory, it’d probably even be fun to replay after taking a lengthy break. Still, it’s not a terribly long game, and some people might be put off by the idea that it’s possible to go beginning to end in less than an hour.

Not likely, mind you, but possible.

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