The key is to switch these tiles around while you’re in the middle of the time frame, because sometimes that’s the only way to solve the puzzle. The tiles with arrows on them can be tapped on to change the direction they’ll be facing, which in turn alters the path of your astronauts who come across it. These dangers include tiles that change your astronaut’s movement direction, dangerous alien tentacles that will break through loose floor tiles, electric boxes that need to be disabled by floor switches, and more.

On each stage, you’ll find various obstacles along the square tile grids. The outlined circle shows you your progress when time is moving forward or backward. Along the bottom of the screen is a line that represents the time frame for the stage, and upcoming hazards are indicated with an exclamation mark above the line at a certain point. To make time move forward, just drag your finger down on the left hand side of the screen. The controls in Causality are pretty straightforward and easy to understand. But time is complicated - you’ll need to work with your past selves and even deal with time paradoxes in order to reach your destination, and there are deadly aliens and other hazardous objects that stand in your way. Once they have all reached their destination within the time frame, then you solved the puzzle. The goal is simple: guide each astronaut to the exit square that matches their color.

Causality is also linear, as you’ll have to clear the current stage you’re on in order to gain access to the next one. Completed stages appear in solid color on the map, whereas incomplete ones have an outline on them. The game does not have any stars to earn, but there is a limited time frame allotted,so keep that in mind. These stages are split up across four different alien worlds, and even the level select screen is a sight to behold. Like other puzzle games, Causality is level-based and has 60 puzzles for players to solve at the moment. It’s safe to say that Loju has done an excellent job with Causality’s visuals and audio, which I think alone make the game worth a purchase. There is a soothing ambient soundtrack in the background that will help you focus on solving the puzzles, and the sound effects are delightful.

Animations are fluid like velvet, so I experienced no lag on my iPhone 7. The color palette ranges from soft pastels to brighter and more vibrant hues, and there are some lovely lighting and shadow effects that make everything pop out even more. Causality also uses a realistic “rewind” effect on the screen when you control time, which is fun to watch. Despite the minimalism, Causality packs in plenty of fine details in the various alien environments that you’ll be playing in, and the character models for the astronauts are rendered nicely with smooth movement. No matter what device you’re playing this game on, everything just looks fantastic and crisp on the Retina screen. The game features a minimalistic isometric aesthetic that is reminiscent of titles like Monument Valley and Minimize. Visually speaking, Causality is downright stunning and gorgeous.

Causality game