Do you remember those Magic Eye pictures? The ones you had to stare at awkwardly to see hidden pictures in. They took me forever to see. I’d be utterly convinced there was nothing in them, just indecipherable visual noise, then all of a sudden, whoah! I’d see it. I’d get a jolt of excitement as the image was revealed. Then it all seemed a bit trivial because it was staring me in the face the whole time.
Kine is like that. It’s a puzzle game that looks really easy but is not. Oohhh boy, it is not. It’ll put a puzzle so simple-looking in front of you, something only a few grid-squares big, and you’ll be stumped. You’ll try every conceivable move and still not be able to solve it. You’ll be convinced it’s not possible – no solution is there. And then suddenly, you’ll see it, one teeny-tiny move you overlooked, and you’ll solve it. Then you’ll feel a bit sheepish you didn’t see it before.
It’s really clever how one-woman creator Gwen Frey has hidden devious intricacy in plain sight, because as a result, Kine never appears overwhelming. It’s always approachable, inviting you in.
