6-Sided Stories is a relaxing puzzle game by DarZal Games. It is the newest self-published title by the Canadian duo. The game has a light narrative entirely told through the puzzles’ images.

The cast showcases a mischievous dog, a cute cat, and an adorable mouse. The story is extremely simple. You’ll follow the characters and watch as they get into all sort of situations: a birthday party, a picnic, and a lot more. Each puzzle picks up where the last one left off and spans a whole year. There are five distinct areas that feature a different season. The last one covers the credits so it contains less puzzles, but there is still a fair amount of content. It’s a fun way to add value to the game, and encourages the player to see the credit as an integral part of the game. Each member of the creative team has their own puzzle. The narrative is light, but it gives the game a common thread. I like the idea of solving puzzles that have a continuing narrative.

6-Sided Stories is a bit different than a traditional puzzle game in several ways. You don’t place the pieces, since they are already in the right place. Initially you see the full image, and then it gets jumbled up. You need to flip them in the right way to recreate the image. Another difference is that the piece are hexagonal which means there are three way to move them; horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Some of the puzzle pieces will also switch to a different color scheme.

I love the idea of having hexagonal pieces so that there are more ways to turn them, however I feel like the developers underutilized this mechanic. It’s introduced in the tutorial and we barely ever use it afterward. Most of the pieces have to be turn vertically or horizontally. It would have been nice to have this extra level of difficulty. Another option could have been to keep the game as is for a more relaxed experience while adding the third flipping mechanic for those who like a more challenging gameplay.

The game has a hint feature if you get stuck. You can click on the little light bulb, and it lets you look at the image you have to recreate one more time. Some of the pieces consist of a part of the image that is basically blank, and this can make it challenging to know if they are in the right orientation or not. If you are only missing a couple of pieces, and don’t want spoilers there’s a feature for that too. You can simply wait and once in awhile the pieces that still need to be moved or change color will wobble slightly. I think it’s a clever way to create a spoiler-free system.

The artwork is nice and simple. The images are pixelated to create a fun style. I feel like it fit the genre of game well. The story is simple, and it’s perfectly suited to be told through a puzzle game. The puzzles are all interconnected, and are easy to understand even though there are no words written or spoken. The soundtrack is definitely the star of the show. It’s a relaxing low-fi beat, and helps to create the relaxed atmosphere. One of the game best feature I’ve found is the in-game music player. One thing that irks me in this type of game is having to go out of the game while in the middle of a puzzle to change the music. It breaks the immersion, and is an extra step that is not necessary. 6-Sided Stories has solved that by creating a music player directly on the puzzle page. It’s feature complete. You can do everything while solving the puzzle. It has a volume slider, a next and back button. It also shows you the title of the song, the name of the artist, and there’s even a small thumbnail of the album cover. In addition, there are plenty of tracks to create a personalized experience.

There is one feature that I found was missing. There is no level selection at the start, it only appears once you’ve completed all of a section’s puzzles. While you are in a puzzle, you do see how many puzzles are left in the section and how many you’ve completed, but you can’t use it to select a different level. I believe this choice was made because there’s a short narrative, but it also means you can’t skip a level. The next button doesn’t show up until the puzzle is solved. The game is fairly easy, so you shouldn’t be stuck, but I think it’s always nice to have the option.

I had a fun time playing 6-Sided Stories. There is a good amount of content, and I love all the extra little details like the in-game music player, and the hint system. The puzzles are not very difficult, so this makes it a perfect choice for beginners. I think the game would have benefited from using the diagonal turn mechanic to a greater extent, or in a challenging mode. Regardless of that, 6-Sided Stories is a solid choice even if it’s a little too easy for experienced players. The cute story, chill music, and interesting mechanics kept me playing until the end.

Positives

• An interesting twist on the traditional puzzle
• Fun story that build up with each puzzle
• Great in-game music player

Negatives

• No level selection menu
• Some of the mechanics introduced are underutilized
• Might be too easy for seasoned players