Tired of the same old next-gen games that all look the same and follow the predictable formula of sleek-and-hollow? Ready to bring it back to when you actually had to put some hard thought into your in-game decision-making and not just mindlessly roll through familiar terrain? If your answer to any of these questions is a resounding “yes,” then you’ve come to the right place because Death Squared is the game you’ve been seeking. Dependent on strategy and tactic, Death Squared can provide just as much entertainment – if not more – than any big title flexing its fancy hardware.

It might not sound extremely intriguing at first, but Death Squared is a fun game all about blocks. Well, not necessarily blocks, more like bots – little robot squares that you are tasked with moving around to their designated spots in tight, narrow spaces. Make a false move and these little fellas that make “beep” and “boop” noises will make big crashing sounds as they fall off the grid and explode, hence the title Death Squared. It’s certainly a game geared more toward multi-player function, encouraging gamers to work together as they try and solve the various puzzles and obstacles in their way. If one player falls over the edge, everyone else does, too. Fortunately, after losing, you automatically respawn and can start over, allowing for the chance to learn from mistakes and try different approaches. If you’re having a hard time imagining this, just think of older games like Tetris, in which the gameplay is more akin to a game board.

Death Squared is divided up into various modes, including Story and Party. In Story mode, you are accompanied by the voices of Dave and his A.I. partner, Iris, both of whom work for Omnicorp, the mysterious entity overseeing the operation in the game’s narrative. The quips between Dave and Iris are entertaining and add a light edge to what can sometimes become a frustrating and challenging game. There are 80 different levels altogether in Story mode, with each one being harder than the last. You’ll start out with a relatively simple pattern to solve, but soon, you’ll have lasers and phantom blockades popping up to make for a more difficult solution. If you’re feeling really lucky, you can try Party mode, in which you’ll be assigned not two, but four, bots to safely move to their respective spaces.

Don’t let the simple exterior of Death Squared fool you; this is indeed a brain buster and a game that will make you truly appreciate victory. Having to strategize and work with other players in such a way really encourages team effort and group thinking skills, which are lacking in newer releases. Of course, there are other new games out there that have these qualities, but Death Squared takes it to a whole other level.

For more information, visitdeathsquared.com.

Jason Savio