Patterna

Patterna is a wonderful logic game in the vein of Tametsi and Hexcells, but its rules can be a tad harder to grasp and the level design can be brutal.

If you thought the Hexcells series was difficult, you might want to skip this one, although to be fair I think that you can assess the game's approach to level design already by playing the demo.

Having progressed a bit into the game, though, I have to say that you CAN get better at it once you get the rules embedded in your brain, and the presence of a "what if" mode (accessible by pressing TAB) ensures that even in the worst cases you can try chipping away possibilities.

So, yes, Patterna is definitely on the tougher end of the difficulty scale for logic games, but that doesn't mean in any way that it's a bad game. I will also add that the game is sold at a low-ish price considering the amount of levels (not to count the randomly generated ones and the workshop ones).

Delightfully devilish! If you dare brave the two circles of graph theory minesweeper hell, you'll come out with a surprising intuitive mix of several puzzle genres. Not for the uninitiated.

Just wayyyy too convoluted and complex to be any fun.

Even if the mechanics are similar it's nothing like Hexcells or (most of) Tametsi. You go through the tutorials (which are like half the levels in the game) mostly fine, then the actual levels begin and you immediately hit the wall.

Every. Single. Level. You open it and basically stare at it for hours because there's bloody nothing you can do to progress at all. I feel like I must figure out and solve the whole level at once simultaneously every time. This includes making assumptions based on assumptions based on other assumptions to see if there's a pattern.

There's no drawing mode like what Tametsi has though. I've been "solving" levels by drawing over screenshots in MS Paint for a long while and it's simply not fun at all. Even when I do manage to understand and crack a level it doesn't feel rewarding at all. Because you click the next level and instantly run into another wall yet again.

Since nodes are not made of grids but rather graphs it is often incredibly hard to really understand what connects to what in the puzzle overall. I just find it next to impossible to truly perceive. And when one-way connections are involved it's basically kiss your gaming goodbye. Like, I code for a living, I know graphs, I've beaten Hexcells trilogy + Globesweeper + majority of Tametsi, yet here I spend most of the time just looking at an MS Paint screenshot slowly getting more and more sad and irritated. I don't see why I should endure it anymore or recommend anyone else to go through it either.

You probably came here because you want more of Hexcells or Tametsi. But it's not gonna be that. It's so, so much worse in terms of difficulty and fun. If you only played Hexcells you are not even remotely ready for this, and only if you totally breezed through Tametsi you might stand a chance. It seems that many people who left positive reviews didn't even remotely progress deep into the game either - except for a niche couple people who are clearly the target audience. But you aren't. :)

Patterna is an enthralling logic puzzle game that captivates players with its unique blend of sophisticated challenges and an enchanting minimalist atmosphere. This gem pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering an experience that stands out from the crowd.

From the moment you begin, Patterna's charm is evident in its elegant and deceptively simple design. Each level presents a network of nodes that must be carefully analyzed and manipulated to progress. As you delve deeper into the game, you'll quickly realize that Patterna is a true test of logical reasoning, offering a refreshingly cerebral experience for those seeking a more intellectually stimulating puzzle game.

One of Patterna's standout features is its highly customizable random level generator, ensuring that players never run out of fresh challenges to tackle. With over 70 handcrafted levels to conquer, there's no shortage of content to keep your mind engaged and entertained. The inclusion of a level editor further extends the game's longevity, allowing players to design their own diabolical puzzles and share them with others.

Accompanying the cerebral gameplay is an enchanting minimalist soundtrack by Alex Cottrell, which perfectly complements the game's serene and contemplative atmosphere. As you progress through the levels, you'll find yourself fully immersed in Patterna's mesmerizing world, losing track of time as you focus on unraveling the intricacies of each puzzle.

In conclusion, Patterna is a must-play for fans of logic puzzle games seeking a fresh and invigorating challenge. Its unique blend of intricate gameplay, endless replayability, and captivating atmosphere make it a standout title in the genre. If you're ready to put your problem-solving skills to the test, look no further than Patterna – an experience that promises hours of brain-teasing enjoyment.

Stupidly complicated. Maybe I'm just too dumb for this but I played Hexcells and Tametsi well and really tried with this one. I feel I understand the rules completely based on the tutorials but then you get hit with a level and suddenly the rules don't seem to work anymore. The rules are basically so complex that they can't even keep up with them enough to make them clear. F*** this game.

It's fun. There's tons of customization. The randomly generated puzzles are quite pleasant, and at max difficulty they can get pretty tough. Bonus points for the accessibility options, I was able to set all of the colors to be very easy to distinguish.

In short: Patterna is a challenging hard-logic puzzle game with a steep learning curve. The mechanics are varied and the replayability infinite, but it is very rough around the edges with poor and sometimes frustrating implementation. If you have a low tolerance for bad UI, stay away. If you can stomach that and are a seasoned veteran of logic games, Patterna is well worth buying at full price.

In long: The developer himself compares Patterna's mechanics to Hexcells, and one can immediately see the inspiration. But Patterna is far from a knock-off, does its own thing and expands gameplay well beyond the scope of Hexcells. Nodes may be revealed or not, may be part of a pattern or not, may carry information about nodes around them up to a distance of 3, may describe the length of the chain they are part of, may have up to 4 colors, may be unlinked, linked or directionally linked, etc. The complexity is smart and truly awe-inspiring, but comes at a cost:
The learning and difficulty curve is very steep and almost nothing about the game seems intutive at first. Minesweeper and Hexcells have a simple elegance that is completely missing in Patterna. Right out of the gate you are inundated with new and abstract terminology ("pattern nodes" vs. "non-pattern nodes") and the tutorial is lacking. From my understanding there used to be a more concise tutorial, but after expanding the game it has been spread out across several level packs. To me it appeared slow, disjointed and partly out of order. To be fair, the game offers pretty much every assistance you can think of: You can mark up to four nodes, which tints all nodes affected by them in different colors and you can switch to a planning mode, where you can temporarily mark nodes. These tools are almost required to use, since especially directional edges tend to produce some counter-intutive results.
The levels are a bit of a mixed bag. There are dozens of pre-made levels (took me about 12h to clear), organized in several sequences, but they mostly left me cold. A good chunk was very easy tutorials, a few were smart and fun and the rest were either focussed on mechanics I didn't enjoy or giganting sprawling mazes of directional edges, which basically required trial and error in planning mode, because there wasn't enough information to solve them step-by-step. But as even the developer has acknowledged on the forums, the pre-made levels were never intended to be the core of the game - the random level generator is! In fact, there are several different ones, which produce different kinds of node graphs. All generators are highly customizable in terms of size, difficulty and mechanics. It is actually incredibly impressive, how much variety and challenge they can produce. My only gripe is, that the difficulty settings are just very rough guides. Even low settings can occasionally produce incredibly complicated relationships requiring several minutes of high level reasoning. But in general the level generators are definitely one of the best I've ever seen and in over 50 hours of playtime with them I've never had the feeling anything repeated or that I had already seen all patterns. There is also a level editor, but Steam Workshop support is partly broken and years after the release there are a grand total of 6 levels published.

Which brings us to the implementation, and here arguably the game starts to fall apart quite a bit.
The graphics are barely passable, albeit completely functional. The Unity loader takes care of resolutions and windowed mode (window can also be drag-resized). I really like the sound effects and the music is decent (although naturally it will get old after 10 hours).
The horrible UI is one of the game's biggest weak points though. It is needlessly complicated and very overwhelming to someone who starts up the game for the first time. The main menu is just an overlay over the gameplay, which leads to strange behaviour, like being able to zoom the main menu background. Functionalities you'll often need are buried as deep in menus as ones you'll never use. Double click doesn't start a level, only the "play" button does. There's a neat graphical statistic at the end of each level that stopped working as soon as I started with randomly generated levels - but it still shows the meaningless data from dozens of hours ago everytime I beat a level. The ingame statistics keeping in general has very little useful data (level times seem to count intro and outro animations, some achievement related metrics are never shown, etc). I disagree with a lot of default choices, but the vast settings menu allows for amazing customization, from marking colors and depths to reversing controls and turning off certain animations. It took some time, but I was able to satisfy a lot of my needs. Some problems remain: If a hint is completely done, the game kicks you out of having it marked (jarring, but helpful), but does not automatically grey it out (why?). Every level starts and ends with a drawn out animation of every single node flying into and out of the screen. While neat at first, I found it to be enormously frustrating being forced to stare at the screen for 15 seconds for the literal 1000th time, when I just want to play the next level.
Speaking of staring at the screen, there are a few pretty bad bugs: Every half hour or so the game just freezes up for 10-20 seconds and becomes completely unresponsive, before continuing as if nothing happened. And after finishing a pre-made sequence you are kicked back to the main menu where a "continue level" button is still active, which reproducibly hardlocks/crashes the game. Together with the deprecated Workshop support, Patterna does not seem well maintained to me.

In conclusion this is a pretty classic example of a first release from a one-man operation. Patterna's developer definitely had a good idea and a firm grasp of mathematics/graph theory, but everything outside his skill-set, like graphics and UI, turned out to be pretty lacking if not awful. Still, the core gameplay is very solid and has infinite replayability. If you are bored by other logic games and you think you've seen it all, Patterna will rack your brain and keep you occupied for dozens of hours and the above-average asking price is very fair for that. Despite all its faults, I've had a lot of fun and don't regret my purchase one bit. If, however, you are new to logic games or if you value a polished experience, I cannot it good conscience recommend Patterna to you.

Patterna is another game in the style of Hexcells.
However, unlike Hexcells (and other variants I've played), this game uses graphs rather than cells. This allows more complicated connections than the others allow. Not sure if the main levels will ever be non-planar graphs but the custom levels certainly can be. This would allow more complexity than would be possible using cells whatever shape you make them. With planar graphs, it is still possible to replicate them using just cells but the shapes may be complicated (as Tametsi does)
It has a few different types of clues for solving and this can get complicated to follow compared to other games. I haven't played it as much yet as the other games (hexcells and tametsi) but I can certainly see it is a very good game.

One thing I really like is it punishes you if you guess. The game knows if you could have deduced something with the current information. I like to make sure I solve levels properly and this makes it much easier to do that.

My maths background means I especially like that it uses graphs. Graph theory was one of my favourite fields in maths I studied so I really like that.

I'd say this game is only for those that truly love games like hexcells (and found it too easy), it is much more complicated than that game.

Edit:
I have now seen a non-planar level though only 1 so far in the set of main levels. Though even the other levels get complicated enough. The directed graphs do add a nice twist that isn't seen on cell based games (Though it's still possible with those, it'd be hard to do without it being confusing.

It's a great implementation of the genre for those looking for challenge. The included mechanics are interesting. The interface and the music is pleasant.

For stock levels it lags way behind Tametsi, but the random generator should make up for that. You can tune so many factors, and most importantly the difficulty. I wish Hexcells Infinite had that: for me the generated levels are almost no-brainer clickfest only.

I hope the developer will find some time to add some improvements and eventually some new mechanics too (as dlc or successor).

An enjoyable puzzle game, Patterna kept my attention for dozens and dozens of hours. You need to determine which cells are or are not marked as part of 'the pattern' based on given distribution/adjacency information, somewhat akin to Minesweeper or Hexcells. Like the latter of those, all puzzles are set up in a way that you never strictly need to make a random guess.

The thing that's really singular about Patterna in my view is the robustness of the random level generator. I was able to find settings that generated interesting random puzzles more often than not. The only issue is that sometimes the chain of reasoning was difficult enough that I needed to break out pen and paper and brute force the next move, which generally felt more like bookkeeping than entertainment. On the whole, though, the game did a good job of hitting a reasonable middle ground of difficulty.

This is a masterpiece, I won't need another puzzle game for a LOOOOOONG time, maybe even forever, I feel in love

I do like a puzzle game and this is a stunner...similar in some ways to Hexcells but certainly provides more than a challenge...there is a learning curve that certaily gets steeper as more and more @features@ are added to the game...relaxing and interesting!

Very difficult, but fulfilling game if you are into that kind of thing. Like a far more difficult version of Hexcells.

Did you like Hexcells but felt that there weren't enough ways it could bend your brain? Do you want to try Minesweeper's evil step-uncle? Does staring at an array of circles trying to figure out what bit of information you're missing sound like a great way to spend some time?

If you answered yes to all of these, Patterna is your game.

This is now my go-to game for a short bit of mental exercise. I can pop up a random puzzle and spend 2 to 5 minutes working through it, or failing at it. Hardcore mode adds that little frisson of worry where one wrong click will cause you to lose the level and get an entirely new one in its place.

This is exactly what it says it is and looks like. Every word in the short blurb up there is completely true. There's a generous demo available.

But what you can't see from the screenshots is that the sound design and music are both excellent.

SHORT VERSION: This is a very well crafted numerical puzzler. While it has a bit of an initial difficulty hump to get over due to somewhat complicated rules, it will reward you with a good ten or so hours' worth of premade levels and a puzzle randomizer that does a good job of extending its longevity. Recommended with great confidence for other fans of more number-based puzzle games.

LONG VERSION

This is the rare occasion where my scanning of the Steam new releases every day pays off. Patterna as far as I can tell has received little press or reviews, but it happened to mention that it was inspired by Hexcells in its store description. That was enough to get me to try the demo, which was enough for me to pick up the game.

It isn’t really a ton like Hexcells, although it does share some of the same DNA. It’s also rather tricky to explain. This was updated later but initially the tutorial was fifty or so stages long and it is undeniable that there is a bit of an initial hump to get over. I couldn’t even follow the couple videos showing off the game before playing through said tutorial.

The basic goal is to mark every node in a puzzle as either pattern or non-pattern. In the vast majority of puzzles these nodes are all interconnected via a web of connecting lines in a variety of patterns. There are a few sources of info upon which to determine the orientation of the nodes. In the bottom left corner there are a pair of numbers, the larger number indicating how many nodes have yet to be marked and the smaller (or when near finished even) number indicating how many of those nodes are pattern ones. Above those may be one of four colors (which can be customized for those who are colorblind or just like to mess with the colors). These will have two numbers associated with each of them that function the same way as the aforementioned ones, just relating to those nodes with a marker of that color on them. It is worth noting that some puzzles may have no colors, some just a few, and others where the number will change as you progress.

The other main source of info is on the nodes themselves. Pattern nodes may have a number on them that indicates how many pattern nodes are connected in sequence without a non-pattern break. Worth noting here is that some connecting lines only transmit info one direction, so while a pattern node can continue to “count” while going along an arrow way it will not register a connection if trying to go against it. Meanwhile non-pattern nodes can contain a wider array of info. A number on a non-pattern node indicates that said number of nearby nodes are pattern ones. A single circle around the number indicates that said number only relates to those nodes within one connection of that particular node. If it instead has two or three circles around the number, then the range expands to every node within two or three connections of it. Said numbers may also be within brackets or a pair of dashes. If in a bracket then all the of pattern nodes indicated within that range must all be connected, while if within dashes then there must be at least one break between them.

On top of this as you unveil more nodes as either pattern or non some of them will likely give you additional bits of info. This can be any of the bits of info mentioned in the previous paragraph, but occasionally one of the non-pattern ones will unveil a colored number. When you get one of these a number of the unmarked nodes will suddenly get a marking of that color and said color will also appear on the bottom left.

Fortunately the game does give you a few tools to help make dealing with all of this easier. By clicking on one of these numbered nodes every node they can possibly affect becomes highlighted in one of four colors, as up to four nodes can be activated as such at a given time. This is a handy way to see which nodes’ info overlaps as often that is the key to solving part of the puzzle. I must note to be careful with the pattern node highlighting as it shows not only all the ones the pattern can extend to but also the ones one node removed as if you know it will be three nodes long you also know the fourth node must be non-pattern. Just because you see the number 3 for example on a pattern node doesn’t mean that there are going to be three nodes in the highlighted range that will be marked as pattern; it could be less if marking one node connects you to another pattern group, it could be more as certain perimeter ones can end up being pattern ones while not actually connecting to the numbered group. An update also gave one the ability to preliminarily mark a node as pattern or not so you can see how it’d affect things without having to commit to it first. This is profoundly useful at times.

Now, that’s a lot of typing up just to get the rather complicated basics established. It can also mostly be skipped (shoulda mentioned that beforehand…). What is ultimately important is how strong the puzzles designed around those basics are, and I must say that the ones in Patterna are on average very well realized. They are broken into groups based around a given concept or arrangement that have their own difficulty curve, which range from “not too hard” to “oh god my brain!”. If I had to level a complaint against them it is that some of them felt like they had to be brute forced after a certain point, although it is certainly possible that if I was a bit more clever that would have been less common. Even with that this is a very strong set of puzzles that should challenge a player for likely a good ten or so hours.

What nudges it to a higher level is that it has a random puzzle generator that regularly produces puzzles that may lack a layer of refinement seen in the better premade ones but that are nonetheless on average pretty good in their own right. I’m generally not a big fan of randomized design, and even in Hexcells Infinite the random ones left me feeling a bit cold, but they work well here and you are given a decent amount of options to tweak before generation. There is also a Steam workshop integration that is collecting dust as… well the game has gotten like zero press.

And that ends up being a shame as this is pretty strong numerical puzzler all things considered. My Steam playtime puts me at about 30 hours after a few weeks, and while that is inflated due to me minimizing and doing something else on the computer from time to time it really sunk its hooks into me. If you like these type of puzzlers then I would strongly recommend at least giving the demo a shot as I’d hate to see such a good game never get a legit chance to find its audience. Also still worthy of a write-in award nomination.

Very challenging and rewarding puzzle game.

Comparing this game with Hexcells is very much justified, as both games follow the same concept: You have to figure out which nodes (=cells) on the board belong to a pattern and which don't. New information may be uncovered in the process, allowing you to progress further. The puzzles are designed to be solved by pure reasoning, i.e. at any point there is at least one logical next step that can be deduced without guessing. Figuring out that next step may be very difficult, though.

Compared to Hexcells, this game is more complex and difficult. Nodes are not related simply by lying next to each other, but may be connected freely by edges. Some of the rules are rather complicated and may be confiusing at first, and the difficulty ramps up pretty quickly even during the tutorial. It took me well over 20 hours to perfect all included levels. The game includes Steam workshop support, but as of now there is virtually no user-generated content. The random level generator can create some pretty decent puzzles, though, when the parameters are properly tweaked.

Edit: One day after posting this the tutorial has been completely overhauled. Instead of throwing all game mechanics at you in the course of some 50 levels new concepts are now introduced gradually, one by one. This should make the game a bit more accessible to new users.

This is indeed very much inspired by Hexcells. There are more mechanics, but it follows the same rule that every level has a solution that can be figured out without guessing.

If you liked Hexcells, get this, you'll like this one too.

Visuals are very utilitarian, I think revamping those would go a long way in making this game a lot more successful. It currently doesn't look like a game that's worth $10, but I think it is.

The tutorial is not that great. I would have preferred a tutorial that was more "baked" into the game, there's too much text for my liking. Stay the course, just give it 10 minutes to go through a few levels and it'll get you hooked.

Music is ok, a bit repetitive.

Overall, a great puzzle game with some execution flaws on the outside.

Top notch minimalist puzzler:

• Pure thinking, no reflexes required.
  
• Attractive and uncluttered interface.
  
• Both hand-crafted and procedurally generated puzzles.
  
[*]Runs great even on old hardware.

actually is a very good design game... you will at start feel too confused... and tutorial will confuse you more cause well tutorial try to teach you all statments that game made... but could be reduced if well combien them with proper leves...
the game is great for logic lovers. And you can solve it in worst case with a table of all solutions and looking for a comun set of nodes with same value in all those posible solutions ... of course that take too much time but with more time on game you will start noticing more.

a good time for distract of all those kills and works too well as a brain trainer.