Review by: Danielle Riendeau

Pushmo is a simple, almost Zen puzzle game with about three core mechanics. You pull blocks, push them occasionally, and jump up the structures you’ve created with your machinations to save cute little babies. That’s all there is, and yet the (many) stages are so brilliantly designed and subtly iterated upon that those three things are really all you need for hours upon hours of blissful block puzzling. You could call it a hidden gem of the 3DS lineup, or even the best puzzler on the young system.

You play as a little sumo dude in “Pushmo Park”, rescuing the aforementioned babies from being trapped within intricate block structures, but really, how much story motivation do you need in a block puzzler? All you need is your brain, your thumbs, and a few hours to burn at a time. Stages start very simple, with only a few required pulls (and maybe a push or two) before a makeshift staircase appears, allowing you to jump to the top to victory. Slowly but surely, the levels become more complex, requiring you to map your moves several pulls ahead, teasing out the solution one motion at a time.

In every way, this is a fully 3D experience. As you begin each challenge with a flat, multicolored structure and pull pieces out (towards you), you really need that added depth to see what you’re doing. 3D headache sufferers needn’t worry, as the methodical pace of the game and utter simplicity of the geometry keeps things Excedrin-free. The ability to “rewind” any move is a welcome addition, keeping any frustration to an absolute minimum.

On top of the 100+ stages is the ability to use the level editor and roll your own, sharing with friends via QR codes. It’s a little e-shop game, so there’s no wonderful online hub for sharing (if only they could copy LittleBigPlanet’s model here), but it’s a relatively painless system if you give it a shot.

It’s not at all surprising to note that Intelligent Systems developed the title. The studio behind Nintendo releases going back to the NES days - with recent hits like Super Paper Mario and the incredible WarioWare: DIY, as well as another favorite portable puzzler of mine (and the DS-playing public), Planet Puzzle League - these folks are insanely talented.

This is precisely the sort of game I’ll bust out every time I find myself on a long flight: it’s addictive, challenging without even a whiff of frustration, and packed to the brim with content. I honestly have no complaints about Pushmo, and fully believe that unless you are deeply offended by baby-rescuing sumo wrestlers or block puzzles somehow killed your firstborn, you should download it immediately.