Vignettes is a beautiful shape-shifting puzzler out now on PC
Expanded version of a brilliant mobile game.
Vignettes, one of my favorite mobile games, is now out on PC—and it's a "reworked" version of the original with "numerous improvements and previously unreleased content".
It's a very light puzzle game in which you rotate colorful objects, and as you pull them around they'll change shape. For example, when you stand a fire hydrant on its end so that you can only see one color, it morphs into a garbage can. Rotate the garbage can at the right angle and it will transform into a curled-up cat. You'll get the idea if you watch the trailer, above.
It's full of charming little interactions and secrets to find: the fire hydrant will spray water in a circle, and if you tap the garbage can the lid will open and a pair of cat's eyes will peep at you from the darkness, hinting at the next object.
Some of the puzzles take a few minutes of prodding to solve, but they're mostly simple, and I find it very relaxing. That's largely down to the soundtrack, created by David Kanaga of Proteus and Oikospiel fame. It's equal parts charming and hypnotic.
At $7.19/£5.84, which includes a 10% launch discount, it's a lot more expensive than the mobile version. But if you haven't grabbed it on your phone, this sounds like the definitive edition. You can buy it on Steam.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Samuel Horti is a long-time freelance writer for PC Gamer based in the UK, who loves RPGs and making long lists of games he'll never have time to play.