Triversal Beta – First Look Preview

Triversal is one of those brilliant concepts that you wonder why somebody hadn’t thought of it until now.  After spending a few hours with the pre-release beta and only putting a small dent in the 160 puzzles it contains I have to say this is one game I will be revisiting often, especially after its full release on July 13th.  Phantom Compass has created something special when it comes to puzzle games; one that not only requires logic and tactics but also throws in a bit of risk and reward.

The rules of Triversal are pretty basic; you have a gold medallion, light orb, sun, whatever you want to call it, and you need to reposition it so that it lands on the black hole.  You move this orb by attaching elastic tethers to it and any of the available anchor points scattered about the level.  Attaching one tether will attract the orb to that anchor then attaching the next will split the difference of attraction, and finally the third will triangulate the orb based on three opposing forces.  This means that on any given puzzle there are only three anchor points that need activating to position the orb over the black hole, but Triversal is more about the journey than the destination.

Some puzzles are obvious and could be solved in three clicks, especially if you are replaying and already know which anchors to use, but you do have an incentive to explore a bit.  Scattered about the play area are green icons (coins) that you can collect by having your orb pass through them as it gets snapped around.  Collect them all for a special bonus, but also know there is a certain number of moves (par) you’ll want to complete the puzzle in to earn that 3-star rank at the end of the puzzle group.  This leads to that whole risk vs. reward I mentioned where you have to figure out if you should go for those final few coins or just finish the puzzle without going over par.  It’s possible to 100% every puzzle but it may take a few attempts to learn the proper sequence of anchors.

Things get even more challenging when the game mixes things up with new obstacles and anchor points that are already attached to elastic tethers of their own that offer variable resistance.  It’s a nice progression of difficulty that slowly increases the deeper you go into the puzzle packs.  As mentioned, the beta only had 160 puzzles but thanks to upcoming Puzzle Packs you can expect thousands along with Daily Puzzle challenges, an Endurance mode where every move costs a coin and a Sandbox mode where you can customize the game as you play endless puzzles with endless coins.  For streamers there is even a Streamer Assist mode that puts numeric labels on the anchor points so viewers in the chat can offer their own suggestions on your next move.

The presentation is very nice for a game that basically plays out in 2D with a bunch of geometric shapes; it even reminded me of a simplistic Geometry Wars game without any shooting.  You have multiple visual options to mix up the overall design of the game with currently five options like techno, gems and plastiq noir and it looks like more may be coming judging from the empty spaces in the menu.  The music is also quite soothing, lending to that whole Zen-like state of mind you achieve playing Triversal.  No timers…no pressure…just relax and figure each puzzle out.  The system requirements are basic, so almost any PC gamer should be able to play this using a controller, keyboard, or mouse.

Triversal looks, plays, and feels like a game more suited for an iPad or other touchscreen device.  It even has coins and star ratings which always smacks of a game designed for mobile devices, and while I didn’t find this game listed on any apps stores I did notice Steam has it listed for Remote Play on phones and tablets using the Steam Link app.  I’ll explore this feature more in my official review in July, but I can easily see how this game would be even more accessible and enjoyable on a mobile device with touch inputs.

I had a blast with the Triversal beta.  It’s one of those games you can jump in for a few puzzles between other games or maybe while doing a large download/install, but it is also deceptively addicting in that once you start you fall into this thoughtful trance of colors and music with point-n-click gameplay that is simple to play and equally difficult to master.

Look for our full review of the final release in July but for now all puzzle-lovers should definitely get Triversal added to their Steam Wishlist.

Author: Mark Smith
I've been an avid gamer since I stumbled upon ZORK running in my local Radio Shack in 1980. Ten years later I was working for Sierra Online. Since then I've owned nearly every game system and most of the games to go with them. Not sure if 40+ years of gaming qualifies me to write reviews, but I do it anyway.

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