Sokobos review - Glory to mankind

Sokobos from Daisy Games is a unique take on an established puzzle formula. Given that today's indie games scene is rife with quirky experiences of all types and scopes, it is no surprise. We've seen games from relatively small studios that can go head-to-head against the latest and greatest big-budget releases.

While their AAA counterparts flourish, boasting state-of-the-art tech, thousands of employees, and layers upon layers of mechanics, indies approach things differently due to understandable constraints.

They're not just smaller in scale but have to come up with unique propositions, vying for sales in a highly competitive market. As such, they're often humble and passionate projects that embody their love for the genre they derive from and expand upon.

Sokobos is just one of several such indie games that prides itself on its simplicity. It is a pixel-art puzzle game inspired by the box-pushing genre of Sokoban. This is where it gets its name from. But is it a good game worth checking out?

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Move boulders for the Olympian gods in Sokobos, a charming indie puzzler

Sokobos's narrative is simple but an interesting one nonetheless. The story opens with players assuming the role of Aeschylus, a Greek warrior who reveals his new aim in life to his wife, Berenice. In return for uplifting his father's town, Aeschylus has taken an oath towards the head of Olympus, Lord Zeus. After granting the hero's wish, the Greek god of thunder has commanded him to construct a majestic garden and palace in the name of Olympus.

This task must be accomplished single-handedly, which is why Aeschylus has also been blessed with superhuman strength. He flexes his newfound powers in front of Berenice by crushing a boulder. This showcase of strength forms the basis of the gameplay as Aeschylus must arrange pieces of pillars and statues into designated positions.

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Mind over brawn

Push pieces of each object into place (Image via Sokobos)

Of course, brute force alone won't get you through this game. Each level is a deviously designed trap that players must navigate in and around. Aeschylus can only push blocks and not pull them. This means it is very easy to mess up by pushing a block into a corner without any way to fix it.

Well, except one. The game offers infinite undos, allowing the warrior to retrace his steps - essentially rewinding mistakes. Another one of Zeus' powers, perhaps? Regardless, at first, I felt infinite rewind was a pretty forgiving mechanic but quickly realized how necessary it was.

The game progressively implements new challenges to face (Image via Sokobos)

That's because Sokobos is a pretty difficult game. While it starts off fairly tame as the design teaches the basics, things escalate quickly with obstacles and new mechanics. For one, as mentioned before, certain pieces will be arranged in tough spots, which would require players to wiggle them out of there - and then players must also make sure that their previously placed blocks don't halt future blocks from progressing through.

Almost like playing a game of chess, players must always think a step ahead before hitting that directional button. The game is also quick to introduce additional elements that raise the challenge further. These include paint blobs (which change the color of a block) and bridges that can be placed to cross bodies of water.

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Constructing to please

Aeschylus must see his ordeal to the end by any means possible (Image via Sokobos)

At the beginning of certain levels, Aeschylus will remark about the progress made with dialogue and even the occasional cutscene. For a simplistic game, Sokobo's tale is one about tragedy, as Greek lore and myths are renowned for. For example, Aeschylus will reminisce about his wife and son as he's away toiling for the gods, dreaming of happy times when his hard work bears fruit. While I won't spoil anything, it revolves around how something can be a blessing yet a curse at the same time.

There are 60 levels in all, each consecutively harder than the last (except when introducing a new mechanic, which kind of is a tutorial level). Sokobos' levels ramp up with new elements like floor panels, block rotating panels, and gate-activating switches. Many of them even combine several of them together, like the bridges being used as blocks to activate switches. You will be grateful for the infinite undo system when encountered with tiles that can't be moved once clicked in the right place or faced with massive rooms teeming with puzzle bits.

To make things easier, players can also skip levels to progress - but do note that once they quit to desktop, players will continue after the last completed level as the game does not save skipped levels. Completionists can find themselves glued to their seats for quite some time. After all, the solutions to some of the trickiest rooms in Sokobos are as finicky as the will of the gods themselves.

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Graphics, sound and performance

The visuals are basic but still appealing (Image via Sokobos)

The visuals are minimalistic and bring to mind retro games from the 80s. It is a pretty nostalgic art style, especially with the transitionless animations for Aeschylus and hypnotizing waves of water bodies. The music is more on the ambient and chill side, with a fitting fantasy theme that complements the setting.

Sokobos was tested on a PC with the following specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-8300H @3.9 GHz
• RAM: 8 GB DDR4 @2666 MHz
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 4 GB
• Storage: 500 GB NVMe SSD

There's nothing to complain about here, it's a very simplistic game and can run on any rig out there. In fact, there really are no faults to be found with Sokobos. If there is one pet peeve I have, it would be the bothersome lack of a pull mechanic. For the gods-given strength at Aeschylus' fingertips, it sure is odd how he cannot pull objects.

Additionally, more levels would be appreciated as the game can be rushed through in an hour or two if you know what you're doing. In the face of everything else, though, these are minor nitpicks but still something worth considering.

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Conclusion

Sokobos is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for everyone. The storyline is intriguing enough to keep the player invested, and the gameplay will make even the most passionate of puzzle game lovers sweat. The virtual task of building monuments to honor the Greek gods is nearly every bit as challenging as the real-life legends of old would make it sound.

What is obvious here, though, is the success story - not just that of Aeschylus showcasing the might of mankind to the gods and prevailing despite insurmountable odds, but Daisy Games as well; the studio has delivered a great game that fans of the genre will find worth experiencing. It may not be the next Talos Principle or The Witness, but for what it is, it is a remarkable puzzle game.

Final verdict (Image via Sportskeeda)

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Sokobos

Reviewed on: PC (review code provided by publisher)

Platform(s): PC

Developer(s): Daisy Games

Publishers(s): Daisy Games

Release Date: April 01, 2022