Taqoban

I have a soft spot for puzzle games that commit fully to a single clever idea and then spend their entire runtime making that idea sing, and Taqoban does exactly that. The title is not an accident: it fuses Taquin (the classic sliding-tile puzzle) with Sokoban (push-the-box-to-goal), then tilts the whole thing onto a side-scrolling 2D plane where gravity becomes a third variable you have to account for. That layering of two well-understood puzzle traditions into something that feels genuinely fresh is ABX Games Studio's quiet achievement here. The core loop asks you to guide Tao or Xiang (two panda characters rendered in chunky 3D) through levels built from sliding segments. You move the panda with one input and shift entire sections of the stage with another, creating new floors, ramps, and pathways on the fly so your box can reach its red goal marker. Early levels are gentle and tutorial-forward, introducing mechanics one at a time: switches, pushers that knock boxes off-course, ice blocks that only shatter on direct contact, and teleport tiles that throw your carefully planned route into beautiful chaos. The difficulty curve feels genuinely considered rather than arbitrary. Beginner and intermediate stages ease you in cleanly; the expert and master tiers will make you stop, stare, and restart more than once. Crucially, the undo button is infinite and penalty-free, and a full reset is always one press away. No cruel checkpointing, no lost progress. This is a puzzle game that respects your time while still asking you to think. The bamboo-scoring system adds a second layer of motivation without being punishing. Every extra move chips away at your bamboo haul, and watching your panda sit down and weep when you finish with nothing left carries a genuine, slightly ridiculous sting. Gold bamboo runs ask you to plan from the first step rather than just brute-force a solution, which is where the replay value lives. Beyond the solo campaign of 50-plus levels, there are 12 co-op exclusive stages built for two local players, which is a genuinely charming addition for couch puzzle sessions. The co-op puzzles are separate from the main set, meaning a second player is not just an option but a reason to return. Where Taqoban is honest about its limits: it is a short game. A focused solo player can work through the main content in a single sitting, and the achievement list offers little reason to linger once everything is cleared. The soundtrack and visual presentation are pleasant without being memorable - functional warmth rather than anything that will haunt you. Players hoping for a sprawling puzzle campaign with hundreds of levels and a narrative thread will not find that here. What they will find is a tight, well-paced idea executed cleanly, a cozy atmosphere that never overstays its welcome, and a co-op mode that makes it worth having on a couch.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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