Game: LYNE

The core gameplay of minimalist puzzler LYNE is reminiscent of classic Arukone: connect two like shapes anchored at different spots on a grid via a single, unbroken line.  There are multiple shapes on the board that must be connected—triangle to triangle, square to square—without their distinctly-colored lines crossing each other.  But LYNE expands upon this basic rule in a number of ways to enhance the challenge, depth, and ingenuity of an initially simple puzzle foundation.   The most obvious of these changes is that LYNE takes place on a graph paper-like grid, allowing lines to be drawn diagonally.  In more standard Arukone games, such as Flow Free or Trainyard, each move fills an entire block and can only be dragged horizontally or vertically.  LYNE's added dimension doubles the potential moves and strategies available, creating seemingly endless options on even small game boards.To both challenge players further and guide them toward the correct path of the many available, colored spaces that match the end shapes are scattered about the grid.  Each of these must be passed through when connecting their related shapes, and can only be touched by their like-colored lines.  This means a blue square's line cannot intersect a green diamond's, but you also cannot block off access to the diamond since the green line must reach it.  The result is often long, roundabout loops where a line circles the screen before returning to an end shape only one block away, and unexpected solutions to seemingly simple challenges.