Puzzle games have hit new highs in recent years. Games such as Portal 2, The Witness, Limbo and many others have displayed just how much can be done with the genre. So when a game like 100 Ways comes along, you can’t help but feel like its a bit dated. This feel like a puzzle game in the more traditional sense, which is no real bad thing, but next to the heavy hitters, it feels like there could be more done.
Across the 100+ levels that are available on the Xbox One release of the game, you are tasked with putting a ball in a hole. Of course it isn’t quite that simple, which is to be expected. You are given a run through of 10 levels to be introduced to the games mechanics. The game features a number of different tools to get your ball from point A to point B past the different obstacles in the way.
Each level starts the same way. You are given a view of the level, which will let you assess where the ramp ball leaves and where the hole it needs to get to is. Each level will give you a set amount of certain tools to complete it. So don’t expect every item to be available for every level, and also don’t assume that you’ll need to use each and every one of the tools provided to complete a level. Sometime overthinking the solution will be your downfall and the simple solution will feel like a face palm moment.
Visually the game does look dated, like a game that could have been out 10-15 years ago. It is a shame, and while I’m not of the opinion that better graphics make a better game (because here, the gameplay would still be exactly the same), a bit more attention to the visuals wouldn’t have been missed.
It’s always difficult to put many words to a review of a puzzle game such as this. There is no story, or multiplayer to speak of, just level after level of the same premise, with enjoyment coming from the solution you come up with. And while 100 Ways is by no means a genre defining game, it is average at best in all honesty, it still manages to provide that smile that puzzle fans will know when they finish a particularly tricky puzzle. And if it manages to do that, then it can come away knowing that it has had some modicum of success.
**Thank you to XCN for providing the review copy of the game**