Overview – developed by Clazz Apps with publishing handled by Eastasiasoft, Hegzis is a puzzle game about slotting pieces on a hexagonal map. Complete challenges by making the piece fit, form lines and delete them from the field to score points. This title is available on all console platforms, alongside support for the Steam service. Links to each version of the game will be available at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Hegzis that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is no story for this game, so I will be moving straight into discussing the gameplay systems.
Gameplay – Hegzis is a hex grid puzzle game, where the player must slot together pieces made out of hexagon shapes. These shape arrangement puzzles are split into four worlds, with a selection of stages in all of them. The player can move and rotate the shapes, allowing them to be placed in an optimal position. As the pieces are placed into the grid, portions of them can be erased if the player lines them up, like many other puzzle games.
In the puzzles, the player is given two pieces to choose from, with one on each side. When a piece is used they will be replaced with a new one, which is added from a randomised pool. All of the pieces are made up of four hexes, which can be freely rotated to place them. At the start, there are lines, clusters and L shapes, but the further the player gets, the more variations of pieces appear. But each of them will always consist of 4 hexagons.
During the campaign, the player will be provided a selection of challenges to complete. The most common ones are to get target scores, clear a set number of single lines and simply enough Hexes on the board. Then there are the more complicated ones, like clearing double lines and even triple lines. This adds a layer of strategy to the puzzle gameplay, making it a good brain teasing puzzle, the more complicated it becomes.
This level of difficulty increase isn’t only tied to the objectives, but the grid itself can become more difficult. As the player clears the stages, there will be void blocks added to the grid map, blocking the player from arranging some pieces. These can be removed by clearing a line with them added to it, making them a useful addition to the stages at times. But they can be a hinderance more often than not, due to the random selection of tiles.
When the player clears the stage, they will get rewards based on performance, shown as a star rating from 1 to 3. The rewards consist of coins, gems and new shapes to use in the game. These rewards can feel very surface level, as there is an awkward mobile feel to the game. This is shown with the way that the assets are laid out, as if the game wanted me to use a touch screen to play. Sadly, this makes it feel a little cheap.
If the player is unable to clear the challenge and can’t place a piece, they will get a game over. When this happens, the player needs to use gems that are earned during play in order to continue. Continuing from a game over provides the player with two hex shapes to get back into play, a single and double hexagon. This is a good way to handle continues, reducing the frustrations that come with puzzle games that use randomisation for pieces.
The last thing to discuss is the power-up system. During the stages the player has four different power-ups, which can be very helpful during play. These will allow the player to clear away a bunch of hexes at once, making more challenging puzzles a little easier. It is important not to be overly reliant on these items, as they are limited in use. In order to replenish the special power-up items, the player can purchase them from the in-game shop.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspect of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – there is an easy to use control system for this release, which makes it easy for players to get into the game pretty easy. The tutorial for the game explains most of the controls pretty easy, but sadly there are some inputs that aren’t explained. The minor hiccups with the controls make it a little frustrating, but in general the inputs work pretty well. It does seem that it would be better suited to a touch screen, as it can be a little clunky.
Difficulty – there is pretty gradual difficulty curve for this game, as the challenge of the stages will increase at a rather gradual rate. The puzzles are fairly approachable in this game, offering an experience that everyone can play. This is good as there are some titles in the genre, which can get overly complex and put players off from playing it any further.
Presentation – I sadly can’t shake the mobile game feel that I get, as the visuals are pretty simple and basic for the majority of the experience. There is a good use of color, which is pretty pleasing to the eye and works well for the game. Everything is pretty easy to see, with bold images and on screen text that are easy to see. The sound has a royalty free vibe, but it is pretty relaxing to listen to, combined with some pretty basic voice over to wrap it all together.
Final Thoughts – I enjoy puzzle games, so I was more than happy to pick this game up. I was hoping for something challenging and I wasn’t disappointed, as it was a pretty solid and enjoyable game. There are some hiccups with it, but the general gameplay was very enjoyable. It may be basic and a little bland from a visual perspective, but there is fun to be had. I am happy to recommend this game to those who love puzzle games, especially those on a budget.
In the end, I give Hegzis a final score of 3.5/5. This is a simple yet enjoyable puzzle game, which offers a fair amount of challenge and depth. While it may lack something in style, it more than makes up for it with substantial gameplay content. If you want to check it out for yourself, a link to each version of the game is below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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