Incredible Mandy ($2.99) is an adventure through dreams searching for memories lost, people forgotten, and experiences once treasured. It is a third person platformer with a little bit of combat and a whole lot of environmental puzzles in a semi-open world, sprinkled with collectibles to fill in the story. It, in short, looks really, really interesting.
As a fan of platformers, puzzlers, and games featuring minimalist art in general, my interest was immediately piqued. An interesting story" Great art" Solid level design" Altogether, it’s a recipe for absolute success and I’m all for it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was quickly dampened after only a little play, as I quickly found that many things were not as I expected. Before we talk about what could have been better, though, let’s go over what Incredible Mandy does well: Level design. Right off the bat, levels are built to impress with sweeping vistas of far-off places, puzzles yet to be solved, and puzzles you’ve already solved. The puzzles themselves require engaging with the environment, shifting levers and objects this way and that to clamber over them, across ledges, and over chasms. It’s something that has been done before, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable here.

As a rule, puzzle games are pretty relaxing and this is no exception. That said, it can certainly be a little frustrating at times with a few time sensitive segments. Boss fights are a ...