REVIEW : Active Neurons 3 – Wonders Of The World (PC)
Active Neurons 3 – Wonders Of The World is a difficult puzzle play that recently launched on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and mobile platforms. created and published by Sometimes You, Active Neurons 3 inspires players to test their strategic reasoning skills while also getting small tidbits of knowledge about historic buildings.
In each level, players dominate a blue square with the purpose of reaching a bright circle placed in a difficult-to-reach location on the grid. Depending on how far the player is in the play, there are several obstructions to overcome, including toxic red squares, portals and movable blocks. Throughout Active Neurons 3, this piles up so that toward the end, the player must drive multiple barriers at once in order to defeat the level.
Strategically, Active Neurons 3 lives up to its title, and is definitely a game that makes the player think. Of course, the problem of the levels varies, but usually, each new experience challenges the player to consider all possibilities and experiment in order to find the right solution. The breadth of restrictions introduced to add to the game’s difficulty is awesome, too, and encourages thoughtful consideration of potential pathways to success.
However, Active Neurons 3 also guarantees that it’s attainable to all players, despite the stress level. Not only can players rewind their steps if they realize they’ve made a blunder, but they can also painlessly restart each puzzle at any time. If players get really stuck, there’s an alternative to view the solution, and, best of all, it doesn’t explain the whole solution all at once. This implies that players can figure out how to progress past one particular part of the problem while still figuring out extra steps on their own, making it feel more like a tip than a step-by-step guide for players who still want the challenge.
Not every perspective of the play is a success, though. As the complete title suggests, Active Neurons 3 – Wonders of the World supposedly focuses on historical monuments, except these traditional tidbits are barely involved in the game. For players seeing for a puzzle game, this isn’t a problem because Active Neurons 3 is clearly a robust entry into the style. However, it is unusual for “wonders of the world” to be incorporated in the game’s title but not in the play itself in any meaningful fashion. After finishing large segments of the game, a traditional monument will pop up and Active Neurons 3 will tell players the date it was built. That’s it.