[Review] Taqoban - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: ABX Games Studio
Published By: Ratalaika Games
Categories: Puzzle
Release Date: 03.25.22

You know how it goes. You push the block, you get it to the goal, you rearrange the stage itself. Hey wait, that last part isn’t actually that common. I hope you like sliding puzzles, because I don’t! But oddly enough, I was having a blast with Taqoban, at least when it didn’t make me feel dumb.

Taqoban is a cute (and I mean cute, I love the leads Tao and Xiang) puzzle game where you need to push blocks to their goals, this being done by shifting the segments of each level around. It’s really that simple, but the puzzles very much so spice it up and can tangle your brain up. Collapsible ice, teleporting spaces, switches, doors that need to match to open. I’ll admit, some of these levels really made me think about the goal, especially with as few moves as possible. If you can beat stages like this, you’ll get Bamboo, with the Gold Bamboo (which means you’ll get three Bamboo for a stage) being the trickiest.

If you struggle, you can always just press the undo button, endlessly. Or just hit the reset button. The game doesn’t even really have a timer. Take your time. This is a super beginner friendly puzzle game, especially with an in-depth tutorial.

You want bang for your buck? Well, there’s over 50 levels, all with their Gold Bamboo scores. There’s even a dozen co-op exclusive puzzles if you want to play with a friend (or lover). There’s even achievements for fans of those.

I would totally recommend Taqoban. For it’s cheap price, you’re getting a fun, cute little puzzler, that to me did something a bit new. I want more.