Oxytone [Review]
Oxytone is a chill puzzle game about untangling mazes.
Oxytone. Credit: OxGames.
OxGames’ Oxytone began as a competition-winning prototype in early 2023 and is now a full-fledged game. Originally just two levels, the game now includes a relaxation mode, 99 challenges, several unlockable themes, and 12 maps with preset tiles. The game is a tranquil, relaxing experience with a simple but masterful concept.
Oxytone. Credit: OxGames.
Oxytone is a game about building labyrinths. The game begins with a hexagonal tile in the middle of the board, with a path leading out. You must place tiles full of tangled paths connecting out from the first. Your task is to have energy travel along the maze you build, winding through as many tiles as possible to earn points. The game ends when you either run out of tiles or create a situation where the energy has nowhere to go.
The gameplay is very easy to grasp, but the art lies in setting your tiles up such that the energy can travel through tiles you’ve placed earlier in the puzzle to gain as many bonuses as possible. If you’re able to have the energy pass through all the paths on a tile, you’ll earn even higher combos.
Oxytone. Credit: OxGames.
Building the maze and watching the paths get colored in is addictive; each time you paint in a whole tile you’ll get a shot of dopamine to the brain that’ll make you not want to put the game down. I’ve seen screenshots in the Steam community for the game with completely filled in mazes and I have no idea yet how players were able to achieve that.
Oxytone is a great low-stress puzzle game. I’m ready to put my headphones on to dive back in and zone out. I highly recommend this one for portable systems like the Switch or Steam Deck.
Oxytone is available now on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: Steam Deck
