Published by EastAsiaSoft for $5, GluMe is essentially Sokoban to the max. It is a single screen block pushing puzzle game with an interesting twist that makes each puzzle much more challenging than expected.

The gimmick comes from the glue mechanic, hence the name. The player controls a Puyo-like blob and can move in any of the four main directions on the grid. If this blob contacts another blob, it sticks together in that specific position. In other words, the direction in which you make your clumps becomes the challenge as there is no option to manually rotate your pieces like in Tetris. This is much easier said than done since most stages only have one solution, often requiring a good amount of trial and error. Thankfully, an insta-restart is one simple button tap. Plus, there are even optional collectables to snag, which is unique for a Sokoban game.

Adding to the challenge are the hazards within each stage, specifically holes and enemies. While the enemies are obvious, the clump of blobs will fail to fall into a hole as long as one blob is standing on solid ground. This might sound simple on paper, but each stage has been hand-designed ensuring some serious brain teasing. No joke, these puzzles can be pretty tough and get stronger over time. With tenacity, it is possible to clear the stage if you mess around long enough. Or, this is one of those games you can steam roll if you cheat by following an online guide.

The visuals, although simple, offer plenty of charm thanks to the googly eyes of the blobs. Also, the soundtrack is better than it has any right to be for a $5 game. The audio here reminds me of the Scott Pilgrim game, which is a good thing.

GluMe is still a Sokoban game so it might only appeal to a limited demographic, but fans of the genre have a lot to like here. Plus, with 80 stages, there is quite a bit of blocking pushing, blob clumping, music enjoying, gameplay here.

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

X/Twitter: @ZackGaz

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