Pushover

I didn't have high expectations for pushover a $3 DOS puzzle game with promotional branding based on a British cheese snack, and the confusing controls, rigid time limit and very simple gameplay did not look as though they concealed a good puzzle game. And yet, they do. Pushover is unexpectedly quite excellent, and I've never played anything quite like it. Each level requires you to fell every domino on the board, making sure the trigger is the last to fall, and then exiting the level within the allotted time. As the game progresses, the domino trails become increasingly elaborate, using more complex domino types that allow for some very complex behaviours, and puzzles based around positioning and timing. The end result of each puzzle, watching cascading dominoes, reminds me a lot of watching a solution in the incredible machine, with each piece coming together for the solution. It's surprisingly satisfying. The dominoes are locked to a grid, meaning your solutions just need to be logical rather than rigidly precise which is refreshing in a game of it's age. The timer initially can be frustrating, but it typically serves to force the player to think optimally about what changes they need to make- rearranging the whole maze is typically unfeasible. It becomes another dimension to each puzzle, and it works. My main issue with the game is there are 8 domino types that all do very different things, but look very very similar, so reading a domino trail at a glance and knowing what to do can be frustrating, but there's an in-game legend (F1) to help with this. A good puzzle game, for me, is one where the solutions feel logical, are satisfying to arrive at, and become more varied and complex as the game goes on. This checks all the boxes. This is absolutely a hidden gem, and I can't recommend it enough.

(Disclaimer: I haven't played the game prior to 2020, so this review isn't fueled by nostalgic memories.) To make a great puzzle game, you don't need 4K graphics and a string orchestra. You need a reasonably sized set of rules (to get variety but not chaos), several creative minds to design the puzzles, and a solid coder who'll make it all bug-free. Red Rat Software had put together exactly that, coming up with a result that decreased my work productivity for three days due to lack of sleep. Pushover is a domino game. You have to find and push the one that will cause all others to topple, plus there's one special "trigger" domino that must fall last, opening the door to the next level. To make it more interesting, there are several special dominoes - one flies up instead of falling down, one keeps on rolling until it hits another domino, another can bridge a gap between platforms, etc. Graphics? Nothing special but do their job, with several really funny moments. Music? Ranging from slightly repetitive to really annoying. So why 5 stars? Well, there's just one factor that decides whether a puzzle game is good: the "just one more level" factor. It's there. Definitely. Oh boy, is it there! The game simply excels at level design. All of the game mechanics are used, creating great variety. Sometimes you have to carry a domino somewhere else in time when the other dominoes are toppling already, or the main challenge isn't starting with the right domino but reaching the exit in time, or you have to find a creative use for a rule that usually works to your disadvantage (no spoilers here). And sometimes you just lean back and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the dominoes topple. Verdict: Pushover is a piece of game designing brilliance. It went for the right size concerning the set of rules, number of levels (doesn't overstay its welcome), and difficulty, having injected variety, creativity, and humor. Definitely recommended. And by the way, I don't like puzzle games.

I had this on DOS back in 1992-93. I loved this game. I would kick out a few levels before bed each night (I was working 60-70 hr weeks back then). It is a lot of fun on the higher levels trying to figure out which blocks to move where and think out the "play" in your head. I would also think this would be a great party game to put on the big screen and get input from everyone on the more complicated levels. I am going to get this and play it through again.

I played this game a long time ago and I could beat all levels. It consists in an ant that has to make a lot of dominoes fall (there are 10 types of dominoes). There are 9 areas, and each area has 11 levels. It is a very fun and entertaining game, and the music is very good too.

Just a gorgeous game, unsurpassable, so cleverly thought out and constructed.