Tilt

(Click to Enlarge)

Tilt is yet another gem just like Rush Hour - Addictive and extremely fun to play with. This logic puzzle game was invented by Vesa Timonen and Timo Jokitalo, and it's manufactured by ThinkFun since 2010.

The game is brilliantly designed to provide a wonderful experience, like no virtual game can ever achieve. I remember playing something on the computer long ago, with a similar concept, but can't remember its name. What I can say, though, is that I enjoy much more a hands-on approach.

Tilt consists of a square grid with a round base. You tilt the board in the four basic directions so the green sliders can drop through the center hole. To make things a bit more complex, you have to worry about the blue sliders and not let them drop in the center hole as well. Square blockers are placed around the grid to get different outcomes. Included in the game are 40 challenge cards with four levels of difficulty.

(Click to Enlarge) - Beginner Level

Setting the game to play is very easy: You choose any of the challenge cards (if you're an experienced puzzler, I recommend skipping to the harder levels), and place the corresponding sliders and blockers in place. After solving a challenge remove the sliders from the bottom of the grid and set another one.

There's another thing you need to keep in mind when playing: with each move the sliders need to go from one side of the grid to the other. You can't just stop in mid way and change the direction of movement. You'll get used to the play mechanics if you start by the easier levels.

The game isn't that hard, actually, even on harder levels. As you progress through the challenges you start seeing more sliders and blockers being used. The number of possible moves also rises, but by that time you're already acquainted with the game's mechanics, and you should solve each level within a few minutes or less. If you get stuck at a particular level, just reset it and try again. It's better than constantly going back and forth.

(Click to Enlarge) - Expert Level, Can You Solve It?

Closing Comments:

I absolutely loved Tilt and its ingenious design. My only gripe is that you can breeze through the 40 levels in no time. I would've loved extra challenge cards like they did for Rush Hour. The game is for 1 player only, but since each challenge can be solved rather quickly, it can be easily shared by multiple players taking turns.

Availability: Tilt is available from Sloyd, in Finland, for about €24. As part of the Deal of the Week, you can get this game with a 15% discount just by mentioning the name of my blog when you place your order. Offer available only until May 3.