Gamer reviews for Staying Together

Romance is Puzzling in Staying Together

Brought to you on Google Play and iOS just in time for Valentine's Day, is Staying Together from Matthew Holtzem and the love experts at Naquatic. This is not the developer's first game (they've been around since 2012), but it is their first foray into the puzzle-platformer genre and away from their usual RPG/Simulation games, like GunCrafter and Affliction.

The game is free to download, gets you hooked on the first game world, "Spring," and charges $1.99 to download the next two worlds: "Fall and Winter." There are no ads to fight with, just a loading screen that can be a little laggy for anyone else out there as absurdly impatient as I am. The game is compatible with Android devices, iPad and iPhone. It only requires iOS 4 on Apple devices, but it optimized for iPhone 5.

The game tells the story of a man with a handsome mustache and his lovely blonde lady friend, who somehow keep getting separated, and as if under the spell of an evil magic marriage counselor, they can only move in mirror images of each other. It is the player's job to figure out how to save them from dangerous heights and pointy sticks, collect the pieces of their shattered hearts, and finally reunite them at the end goal. Overall, the gameplay is similar to that of Microsoft Studios' ilomilo. The puzzles get progressively harder, as relationships also tend to do, but not mind-numbingly so. Collecting the heart pieces without someone dying can be trickier than the actual puzzle, and the controls are difficult to maneuver when it comes time to double jump over the edge of the world and glide back to safety.

The graphics are bright and clean, with an "indie game" vibe overall. The background music is a mellow, if not a tad morose, piano tune by Kevin MacLeod with the occasional sound effect thrown in here and there.

This game is absolutely lovely. The tutorial levels manage to teach without being preachy, deaths are over very quickly and don't even disturb gameplay very much, which is excellent, because I died a lot. The characters were creepily endearing with their unblinking black eyes, panting breath and open mouths. This game is not going to be challenging enough for hardcore puzzle fans, but for casual gamers who need a little vicarious romance, this game is for you.