Semispheres Reviews
Overall Semispheres is not a bad game, it’s a genuinely fun puzzle game that will test your reflexes, timing as well how quickly you can solve a problem. It's unfortunate that it's let down by it’s extremely short length, inability to increase the difficulty or offer anything new on additional playthroughs.
Semisphere is a solid puzzle game, and it’s worth your time and money, It a relaxing experience that is perfect after a lousy day at school or work so that you can kick back and relax as you play to your heart’s content.
Semispheres’ puzzles are really fun to get into and you will definitely find yourself wanting more once they are complete. The intrinsic nature of the game really is it’s drive. It was a shame that although the story was quite interesting to go through, it just seemed like a byline to the puzzles. This was the only thing stopping me from giving this game top marks.
Semispheres is a clever blend of stealth and polarity-based puzzles but the content is severely lacking.
"Semispheres is a short, sweet, and succinct puzzle game. It's not too hard and the learning curve is fairly kind so non-puzzle gamers have nothing to fear here. The last few stages and levels will make you think though unless you exploit around them. Most will certainly appreciate the art and music which are arguably the game's best features. Hell, you could legitimately meditate to the tunes if you truly wanted. I can easily recommend this title to fans of the genre, just understand how long the experience will last."
There are plenty of puzzlers out there, but there’s just something special about the way this implements such a peaceful, meditative stance.
The dual reality premise makes Semispheres distinctly unique in its gameplay and is a clever mechanic that other puzzle game developers would do well to take note of.
Two thumbs, two analogs, two characters. Sadly, there are far better games which utilise that kind of premise.
Review in Polish | Read full review
With all advantages Semispheres has a significant drawback – the game is too easy even in the later stages, and a combination of different skills rarely can be quite a serious challenge even for a beginner. The developers simply do not use a whole range of mechanics to make the game harder and more interesting. Still there is some hope for a DLC, which has not been even announced yet. However, as a means for relaxing before going to sleep or an opportunity to rest between big projects this game from a small indie-studio is almost indispensable.
Review in Russian | Read full review
I completely love it. This is such a smart game, cleverly delivered both in style and execution, taking familiar puzzle ideas and making them feel bewilderingly original via its split-screen single-player co-op. I
A beautiful puzzle game with a brilliant twin stick gameplay that does nothing but delight.
Semispheres is a smart, relaxing, and challenging puzzler that brings fresh ideas to the genre.
I enjoyed the relaxing pacing and feel of the game. While writing my Semispheres review, I continued to play the game even after I had drafted this review. When a game does that to you, you know it’s doing something right. The fact that there are no timers rushing you to beat a level as fast as possible, not to mention that there’s no “game over” of any sort as you play make this a very great pick up and play release that quickly puts you “in the zone.” I highly recommend Semispheres to puzzle game fans as it will provide you with many hours of fun before you manage to finish the final puzzle.
Eventually I would love to see a timed mode added to this to make it even more challenging.
A unique and well-crafted opportunity to test your grey matter.
Still, if you want to sit back and relax with your Switch, Semispheres is an enjoyable and serene puzzler that is both soothing and tough. The lack of overall meat to the game is a little disappointing, but the ride is very much worthwhile as long as you're okay with a shorter-than-expected time.
What Semispheres lacks in quantity it more than makes up for it with quality. It's entirely possible to get through every puzzle in just a few short hours, but a reasonably high skill threshold and thought-provoking design ensure the experience remains memorable from start to finish. By having each Joy-Con correspond with each sphere, multiplayer is incredibly natural and comfortable. For that alone, the Switch port comes off as the definitive version. With a truly meditative ambience and stellar puzzle design, Semispheres can be enjoyed in blissful solitude just as much as in the company of a good friend.
Whether or not you decide to take the plunge with Semispheres will really come down to whether you’re in search of a relatively humble but enjoyable collection of puzzles that will occupy most people for several hours depending on your relative skills. Even as a puzzle game fan at no point did it feel like a “been there, done that” situation that can commonly happen with games that have little ambition. In the case of Semispheres it all began with a great base idea and that expanded into something charming and fun that you can enjoy for a while.
Apart from unnecessary narrative and simultaneous action-oriented stray deviations, Semispheres deploys its half stealthy / half puzzling mechanics to their full extent, more easily experienced with a second player thanks to the Joy-Con.
Review in French | Read full review
The bottom line is if you are looking for a game you can pick up when you have 15 minutes or two hours to spare, look no further. There's no gear grind, there's no falling behind if you don't play for a day or a week and the mechanics are easy enough that you don't have to start over if you take too much time off. It has become part of my evening routine before going to sleep and with plenty of levels to burn through, it's safe to say it's there to stay.