Splitter Critters is a puzzle game released on Steam last month. I just finished playing it. (There are some extra levels I did not play yet, but I figured I can write about the game anyway.) It has only 5 reviews on Steam at the time of writing and I think this is a much lower attention than what this game deserves.

The mechanic of the game is tearing the space apart. Literally. Though I am putting here my own screenshots, you really should see the trailer to understand how it feels.

You have to lead cute friendly creatures to your spaceship on each level. You are robot with the ability to cut the world into two. You can move a slice along the cut. At first the only thing you are doing to achieve your goal is moving platforms together for creatures to walk on them. As the game progresses more mechanics are introduced and the learning curve is well designed. The only little thing I want to say that the first planet might feel too easy for an experienced puzzle game player. If you feel that way just hold on. Rest of the game is interesting and difficult enough. A basic example of a cut you can make to connect platforms.

Story of the game is kind of left to the player. The reason for us collecting these creatures is not given. The basic assumption you make is that we are saving them and their reactions support this. But even at the end of the game there is no extra info on the subject. I personally don’t see this as a minus to the game. A detailed story would be nice, but it is not a must for a game like this. A somewhat complicated cut formation.

I really enjoyed the mechanics from a programmer/game developer perspective too. When I think about coding what I see, I cannot stop thinking about the possible glitches. Game is nearly glitch free. Which is very impressive.

I also want to mention the freedom you have while coming up with a solution. Game allows you to make a maximum of 3 cuts at the same time. Which is more than enough freedom for the player. Unlike most puzzle games there is not one true solution and any solution you find feels right for you. As an example, a solution I found on a level including lasers. (Yes, one cannot simply make a puzzle game without lasers.) This might look intimidating at first, but as I said the learning curve is just right. Plus there are cute creatures. Give it a try! Here is the steam store page. (P.S. it is cheap)

They are waiting for you!

BONUS: This game was originally a Ludum Dare game it turns out. Which is something cool that connects me more to this game. Here is a gameplay video of the Jam version I just found.