Lyne: A Stressful Game In Disguise [Review]

Apparently, I’m a sucker for minimalist puzzle games.

You can find a lot of them in the App Store, and I’ve reviewed more than a few since I’ve been here. I like the simplicity, the clean interface, the solid blocks of color … it’s all very relaxing. And then I play something like Lyne, a new puzzler that looks like those other zen games, but then you start playing it and realize that beneath its sparsely populated surface is a relentless battle for your sanity.

In a good way. Mostly.

Lyne has a simple premise: It gives you a bunch of shapes, and you have to draw lines between the matching ones. And that’s all great until the rules start emerging.

Lines can’t cross. You must connect every shape. Later, your board includes pieces through which you can draw multiple lines. You have to draw multiple lines through them.

If you try hard enough, your brain does something I can only describe as ‘Mental Magic Eye.’

A game isn’t a game without rules, of course, but Lyne is so much more particular, exacting, and demanding than similar games that it’s enough to snap you out of Zen Mode. And then you start to think. And then you either give up or adapt. And if you try hard enough, your brain does something I can only describe as “Mental Magic Eye,” and Lyne becomes something else entirely.

Game Name: : Lyne The Good: Simple and relaxing but still somehow challenging and stressful. The Bad: It’s a bit rule-crazy. The Verdict: It’s a deceptive take on minimalist puzzlers that ultimately pays off. Buy from:App Store

[rating=game4]