Expand Review: A Unique Meditative Journey (PC)

Expand is a creative meditative puzzle exploration game by Chris Johnson and Chris Larkin based in Australia. It hooks you up right at the beginning. It seems basic at first but after the short tutorial you just get into a trance to play it all through the end with the abstract visuals and music that goes extremely well with the gameplay. In the game you are a pink square moving through the circular labyrinths that constantly twist, stretch, and expand from your movements. It may seem simple but very unique that offers surprises while advancing the levels.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple, move around the creative labyrinths that are ever changing to offer a unique challenge every time for the puzzles to pass the labyrinths. Obstacles to stop you during the exploration is by getting crush by two walls or in later levels red walls collided will reset you as well. It resets by rotating to the last checkpoint each time you fail to try to trick your movement. It got me twice. The checkpoint system for the game is great and makes it very accessible to play.

Obstacles

The changing labyrinths are truly unique. The color palette for the game is abstract and simple but it is appealing to admire with the great levels that are ever changing. It will seem like its repetitive at first but it gets truly creative right away after. Dodge walls that are coming down to you while you try to get up to the spot to advance. Another example is passing through a straight way hall while red squares move up and down. Simple and then more complex ones come by where patience is key to see the pattern to advance the level.

Final Impressions

Overall Expand offers a truly unique game that must be play to experience this fantastic game. Thanks to its unique puzzle labyrinth exploration and music that goes along through the journey is great. The visuals are simple but truly great to look at with the unique labyrinths that rotate, expand, and twist with the various walls and red obstacles. This review was played with an Xbox One controller. It is possible to play with the keyboard arrow keys but will be hard to play with later levels. I played it a bit like that and offers a unique challenge as well if you don’t have a controller to use. Thoughts, feedback let us know in the comments below.