Review: Particle Hearts (Nintendo Switch)

Particle Hearts opens with a scene of the main character being chased by wolves, barely making it out alive. This sets up the plot, in which it appears to be your responsibility to find whoever is in need of saving. However, the narrative is very loose and cryptic, allowing the player to perceive it as they please. The game instead focuses more on exploration and puzzle-solving than on the story line.

After this opening scene, you find yourself in a giant field, with little direction on what to do. At first, there seems to be three priorities: explore the open world, find wind chimes, and complete puzzles. Exploring the game is the easiest thing you can do, as it’s so incredibly fascinating to look at; the graphics are entirely made up of floating particles.

You’re soon told to find the wind chimes hidden around the area, and doing so slowly reveals your past. You’ll also find large, white, glowing structures. When you head inside of these, you’re teleported to another world that consists of 3D platform puzzles. There, your goal is to get from the starting point to the end. You do this by running, jumping, and dashing. You’ll also come across buttons that shift the platforms so you can access new areas. Each level has a couple of different puzzles to solve, and they grow more difficult as the game progresses. To finish a level, you must finish all of its puzzles, but you can jump back and forth between levels.

You will also come across different animals who have stories and secrets of their own. Like the wolves who chase you in the beginning, some of the animals have bad intentions, while others are the opposite. One of the first animals you’ll meet during your play through will be deer, who help you discover some of your purpose in the game and provide a peaceful environment rather than a dangerous one. Both are equally important to the game, and add different layers of story telling, emotion, and challenges.

The controls of the game are pretty basic. You run around with the left stick, jump with B, and dash with A. If you ever miss a jump in a puzzle, you just restart from the beginning. The complications in Particle Hearts come not from the controls, but rather from your patience and logic skills, which are very much required for this game. A lot of Particle Hearts includes running around with no direction, searching for what to do next. However, due to the game’s calming nature and amazing visuals, the slower parts don’t feel too boring at all.

Each level feels a little different, as well, which keeps the game from growing repetitive.

Although Particle Hearts isn’t the most action-packed or narratively-captivating game, it still stands out not only for its visuals, but also for how independently it can be played. If you like games that tell you exactly what to do and when, this one could seem a bit challenging. However, being able to discover the game’s secrets at your own pace is one of its best features.