In the 1880s Noyes Chapman invented the sliding puzzle. It involves multiple tiles in a frame that must be shuffled one square at a time to recreate either a completed picture or a range of numbers, without lifting the squares off the board. In the 20th century many plastic varieties were created, being a great option for children’s birthday party loot. Now in the 21st century it’s only natural for this style of game to be digitalised. Cat Slide Tiles is the adventure of one cat trying to find their way home. How has the 2D concept been realised in 3D form on Nintendo Switch?
Simplicity is a continuous theme, from the main and sub menus. The options only involve volume, and the ability to turn off the cat’s meow. Although most cat lovers prefer to hear a cat in a game, perhaps having the option to toggle it helps those who are less fond of the sound but still want to enjoy the puzzles without muting the serene music.
The first level explains how to play, retaining the hands-on approach of the original 17th-century version by utilising the touchscreen, or using the controller joystick to select a tile to move. The beginner stages are easy enough and a top-down view works well, but as the board becomes bigger and more obstacles are used, turning the board in any direction helps solve it faster. Using the zoom function makes it easier to admire the pretty scenery. From strolling through a forest to a promenade on a beach, the four varied areas bring variety to this feline adventure.
At the beginning the path to the final square has obstacles in the form of rocks on tiles or path tiles put of place. The usable tiles slide about using a fingertip to move it in the required direction. Three keys must be collected before completing the stage. The simple concept is easy to grasp, yet when the tile quantity increases it can take more than a few seconds to figure out what needs to be moved. Fixed tiles are depicted with concrete features, but a lot are free moving. It does seem that there may be more than one way to solve some of the tougher levels.
The level of detail on the tiles includes both large objects like trees and bridges, and smaller ones like flower heads and leaves. The different scenes lend to the concept the cat is on an adventure through a variety of regions. Each area has 19 levels to it, with a total of 80 to guide the patient cat through. Future improvements in this title or a sequel to make the puzzles more fun could include a variety of cat colours as not everyone likes a grey tabby, and maybe some secret levels to unlock or other achievements. It is a very sturdy puzzle game as it is, though, and after a few months’ break has a strong replay value.
