Blissfull review - A puzzler that locks you out

Blissfull? Only if you're the sort of smart cookie who uses logic and mathematical puzzles to unwind like the rest of us use a glass of wine or a good book.

While this new puzzler features cute (if rather bizarre) smiley-faced locks and a simple swipey control system, it's anything but casual.

There's nothing inherently clever about Blissfull's premise. The idea is to move numbered locks around in a grid so that they line up in rows numerically.

Soon, special rules are introduced, such as locks that will only activate (switch from blue to yellow) when you swipe the row they're on in a certain direction.

Still, the crux of the game is being able to methodically work through a jumble of numbers, figuring out how swiping one row of numbers will affect subsequent rows.

It's a numerical Rubik's Cube, essentially. And I'm as lousy at this as I am that famous physical puzzle.

I long ago came to the conclusion that my brain just doesn't work in the way needed to crunch through many logic and maths-based problems, and I don't think I'm alone.

There's nothing wrong with making a puzzler for those whose brains do work in this way, of course. But the best mobile puzzlers manage to soften the edges and figure out a way to bring more people along for the ride - even those who struggle to 'click' with its mechanics.

Blissfull simply doesn't do this sufficiently. Given the game's easy-going vibe and its inviting presentation, it does surprisingly little to show its workings and bring you into the fold.

I'm all for the 'show don't tell' form of gaming tutorials, but Blissfull takes this to extremes. It shows you basic rule tweaks through a relatively simple level, and then leaves you alone to deconstruct and extrapolate.

Sure, it'll chuck in the odd one-line hint, but it's really not all that helpful. What it really needs is a 'basic strategies' screen to get us plebs up to scratch.

This is the kind of game where, if you're of the target mindset, you'll play through its puzzles and wonder what the heck I'm on about. Well done. You should have no problem adding two to the final score.

But to this avowed word guy, Blissfull's benign-looking puzzles present sizeable barriers that I suspect many will simply bounce off.