Twelve a Dozen

Twelve a Dozen is a brilliantly put together platformer with a mathematical twist. There are tough jumping sections, and bits where you need to do some quick maths if you want proceed.

And it all fits together surprisingly well. Clever storytelling means the two seemingly disparate halves fit together brilliantly, and much like indie darling Thomas Was Alone, the narrative pushes you on to the next level.

On top of that the game looks wonderful. It's a polished presentation that enthrals from first leap to final sum.

You play a number-faced critter called 12 who finds himself in the middle of a numerical catastrophe. You're joined by a Navi-style floating assistant who also acts as a narrator.

A variety of nodes are scattered around the world, and you can combine these with numblings - little podgy things with integers on their bellies - to change your face value.

You might need to add a seven to yourself to push a switch with a 19 written on it. After a few simple levels you'll have to work out how to use a series of numbers to essentially create an equation to get to the right total.

Different numbers have special powers as well. Nines can jump higher, fives can swim, and fours can push boxes. Combine them and you'll get both of those skills - 49 can jump high and move obstacles.

Later on you'll need to deal with multiplication and division. There are bridges that you can only cross if your number is equal to or less than a certain point, and other challenges that'll keep you on your toes.

If you make a mistake you can rewind time, and there are checkpoints here and there as well. With three chunks of levels, and plenty of replay value if you like chasing the best score, there's a lot to like about Twelve a Dozen.

It's a smart, engaging platformer with more than a few tricks up its sleeve. It's fresh, it's funny, and it's definitely worth a look.