Kleene Games is a Berlin based studio made up of four students. They’ve just released their first game on Steam. One S’More is an adorable puzzle game about a little marshmallow who has big dreams. His aspiration is to become the tastiest Smore the world has ever known. Will he fulfill his life-long dream? Our fluffy protagonist longs to become a yummy Smore, but that is easier said than done. He will have to solve many puzzles to get his wish.

One S’More’s world is call the Overworld. It’s divided into five areas; Sugar Hills, Candy Bay, Caramel Valley, Frosted Springs, and Tricky Treats. Each of these sections has several puzzles. The game features auto-save so you don’t have to worry about losing your progress. One aspect that I’ve found annoying is that when you open up the game you always start at the beginning of whichever section you finished in. If, like me, you like to play in smaller sessions then you end up going back and forth a lot. Thankfully, the areas are not too big. When you get to Candy Bay, the second area, you’ll unlock a train that takes you from one place to the next. The game also has a map you can consult at anytime. It makes it much easier to navigate, and you’ll most likely need to use it at one point or another since the puzzle entrance points are not in a straight line.

There are 125 different puzzles ranging from very easy to fairly challenging even for the most skilled players. The first area is a straightforward introduction to the gameplay. The puzzles consist of two types of tiles; sugar cookies and chocolate covered graham crackers. The goal is to bring the two graham cracker side by side with the marshmallow standing on either one of them. That’s when the magic happen, and our cute little protagonist gets squished between the crackers to achieve his dream of becoming a Smore. As you progress, more tiles (in the form of different sweets) get added.

These tiles each have their own distinct mechanics. For example, the sugar cookie tile can propel the tiles that are surrounding it by left clicking on the cookie. Alternatively, if you right click, they’ll simply disappear. There are a lot of different types of tiles; sugar cookies, puddings, cinnamon swirls, and many more. It makes for a lot of variety of puzzles. I enjoyed playing through the game, but the real fun comes when you start to play with the level editor. There are so many interesting combinations just waiting to be created, and the integration of steam workshop means that you can also play other people’s creations. The possibilities are endless.

As I’ve mentioned before, in One S’More you don’t choose your puzzle off the home screen. You have to actually walk from one to the next. Walking through the Overworld feel a bit like you’ve stepped directly into the old Candyland board game. Each section has its own bright color scheme. The ground is pillowy, and there are colorful trees and candies everywhere. The aesthetics are perfect, and it was interesting to walk around, and look at the beautiful decor for a time. Unfortunately I found that the map felt a bit empty when you’re walking around. It’s not because the game is missing levels; the problem is that the ‘points’ where you enter levels are grouped together. Sometimes one or two levels will be together and other times there will be more. The game ends up having a lot of extra space on the map that isn’t being utilized. It would be less of an issue if the Overworld was smaller or filled with things to do.

I loved the animation when you finish a puzzle. Our marshmallow gets to become a Smore. We see him squished between the two chocolate covered graham crackers. I found it satisfying to see this adorable animation upon successfully completing a level. At the moment, the soundtrack is okay, but nothing to special. I say at the moment because the developers have stated that it’s only a placeholder, and that they are in the process of creating a fitting soundtrack. I’m looking forward to hearing it, and hoping it will be a fittingly chilled soundtrack. A great soundtrack could truly take One S’More to the next level.

I loved all of the small details that the developers have added since I always appreciate them. First and foremost there is an in-game bug report button. If you come across a bug, you can instantly report it while still playing. It shows that the creators are committed to improving their games and hearing what the player has to say. Another cute little detail is the credits. Instead of just scrolling down, you have to go through a puzzle of sorts to see them. It’s an ingenious way to make it more interesting for the player, and I loved it.

One S’More is an interesting game with an adorable protagonist, a cozy Candyland inspired atmosphere, and beautiful art. There are a good amount of puzzles, and the varying mechanics are easy to learn while still remaining challenging. When you add the level editor and the Steam workshop integration, the game provides you with nearly unlimited replayability. The only aspect I did not care for is the soundtrack, but I have hope the new soundtrack the developers have promised will be more original and relaxing. Overall One S’More is a solid choice if you are looking for your next puzzle game.

Positives

• Cute and cozy atmosphere
• Simple yet well executed mechanics
• Level editor and Steamworkshop adds replayability

Negatives

• The soundtrack is too generic
• No achievements
• The Overworld feels needlessly large