Semblance

In a year with more than a few solid platformers, Semblance still manages to stand out. I love the design, the puzzles are challenging but not mind-breaking, and the controls are tight and easy to pick up. I only wish there was a bit more content here, but I may double dip on the Switch version once I'm far enough removed to forget some of these puzzles.

Semblance goes beyond the puzzle genre and adds their own special take on platform games. The game's art and music direction create a peaceful world that is both full of beauty and rage-inducing wonder. The team at Nyamakop should be proud of their first project which is the first video game developed in Africa to be released on a Nintendo console.

Semblance is a unique platformer whose minimalistic environment is the perfect background to the satisfyingly challenging puzzles that must be solved in order to save the adorable Squish’s world. It’s relaxing, aesthetically pleasing, and gradually increases its difficulty in a way that is fresh each time and does not get repetitive.