Puddle

Puddle is all about steering a liquid through little physics puzzles, which gives it a neat idea right away. By our assessment, that idea is the whole appeal: the controls are less about speed than about keeping momentum, tilt and spill under control. The downside is simple too, because the game lives on one trick and can start to feel repetitive once the novelty of guiding a puddle wears off. In practice it tends to be a game of small corrections and trial-and-error, more patience than spectacle. It sits closer to compact indie puzzle games than to anything broad or story-heavy, and that narrow focus is what defines it. The people who enjoy fiddly movement puzzles will get the most from it; anyone wanting variety or a bigger loop will run out of patience fast.