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Developer/Publisher: Dominique Grieshofer

Turn white blocks into colored blocks in one of the most relaxing platformers ever made.

Refunct is a game that is both easy and difficult to describe. On the surface, it’s a 3-D, first-person puzzle platformer with some very light parkour elements (wall jumps, slides, etc). Underneath, however, it is a strangely meditative game, one that reaches beyond its simplistic premise and becomes an engrossing time sink that steals hours from your life without you ever noticing.

Turning Blocks

The object of the game is simple. You begin the game by standing on a white block that is connected to other blocks. Step on a block and it changes color (the color varies with each playthrough). Step on all the blocks and you win the game.

Switch it Up

Of course, simple doesn’t always mean easy. Most of the blocks that you need to turn are underwater, and you have to step on switches in order to bring them up. Finding and stepping on these switches is a key component of the game.

As you trigger switches, more and more blocks come up, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and patterns. The playing field expands from a tiny block island to a small city as you go from one switch to another.

As you progress, you also open up elevators, springboards, and pipes. All of which give you that extra boost you need to reach the highest platforms.

It’s simple, but it works. You figure out quickly how to navigate the environment, and spend the rest of your time figuring how to do things like bounce off of one block to grab the lip of a tower just out of reach.

No Holding Hands

Developer Dominique Grieshofer must be a strong believer in the “use gameplay to teach players to play” philosophy, because there isn’t a single tutorial in this game or any kind of signpost to explain what you’re supposed to do or where you’re supposed to go. You’re expected to figure it all out on your own, and it doesn’t take long to do just that. As you hop from block to block and press buttons, you learn how to jump, slide, and bounce off walls. And when you hit pause, you see this:

That percentage goes up as you convert more and more blocks from white to color. It creates a sense of urgency as you bound from block to block, wondering what happens when you hit 100%. Here’s a hint: something happens at 95%, and something else happens at 100%. As to what those two things are; I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it for you.

No-Stress Mirror

This game is obviously inspired by the Mirror’s Edge series, and will definitely draw comparisons to it. However, outside of the platforming elements, the two games couldn’t be more different. Mirror’s Edge is all about getting from point A to point B as fast as humanly possible; Refunct has no timer at all. One wrong move in Mirror’s Edge can mean death; dying is impossible in Refunct. Mirror’s Edge is all about fighting evil corporations and corrupt governments; Refunct is about…well…

Refunct is all about just chilling out.

This is an incredibly peaceful, low-stress game. You can’t die. There are no enemies to fight. There is no timer, and there is no scoreboard. It’s just you and the blocks. There is definitely a goal, but you can take as much time as you want to get there, and you’re guaranteed to win as long as you keep looking and playing.

Sound Clouds

Adding to the calm atmosphere – and in some ways, taking center stage – is the music. It’s a constantly looping medley of soothing electronic music that manages to hook you while staying in the background. The music is welcoming, hopeful, upbeat, and never gets tiring.

In many ways, the music is the best part of this game. It elevates Refunct from a simple block puzzler to a meditation aid. The combination of entrancing music and simple but effective gameplay combine to steal time from you. You can easily lose an hour or two to this game with no notice and no regrets. There’s no way to convey the effectiveness of the music through text, so you’ll just have to play the game to find out what I mean.

One Shot

Refunct’s biggest issue is the lack of replay value. There is only one level in the game; once you hit 100%, that’s it. Restart, and you’ll play the exact same thing all over again. The only things that will change are the colors that the blocks turn into, and some text messages here and there. This isn’t a game that you’ll want to play every day, but it is a game that you can pick up every few weeks when you want to de-stress, feel good, and not think about anything.

A Bargain

You will definitely get your money’s worth with this game because it literally costs next to nothing. It retails for three US dollars, but as of this writing, it is on sale for two bucks. You can pay a lot more money for much worse games than this.

Confession Time

I originally wasn’t going to review Refunct. In the beginning, it felt like the kind of game that would come out of a “make your own 3D platformer in Unity!” tutorial. Super basic, no frills, barely a game.

Over my playthrough, however, it won me over. The relaxing platforming, combined with the soothing music, created an atmosphere that I’ve never quite experienced in a game before. This is definitely a title that is worth your time and attention, and gives so much in return for how little it asks.

Therefore I give Refunct by Dominique Grieshofer my rating of

Are you going to be picking up Refunct? Wait did you think of Musume’s review (It was great right?). Let us know over on Twitter or come and join the SIF Discord server. And check out more of his reviews here.

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