LOK Digital Preview: I'd Still Love These Puzzles if I Was a Worm
There are endless worlds out there in the universe, but how many of them are inhabited by cool worms that have unique puzzle-solving traits? Well, I don’t know the exact answer to that question, but I know there’s at least one - the unique world of LOK.
Originally a book of puzzles from author Blaž Urban Gracar, LOK Digital is the video game adaptation of the book utilizing the same mechanics and rules. In the game, players must combine letters to create specific words by connecting letter tiles together to remove every tile from the board.
To try and clarify a bit, in LOK Digital’s first puzzle, players must create the word LOK using the tiles laid out in front of them. You must connect three tiles containing the letters L, O and K, but there are specific rules that you have to follow in order to do so. The letters must be in the same column or row and cannot be separated by tiles that are unused. Additionally, when you complete a word, you must use the ability associated with that word. Meaning, when you use the word LOK, you spawn in a little worm guy who must get rid of a free tile anywhere on the board.
It’s pretty simple to start but quickly gets complicated - in a good way! When you move onto world two you are introduced to a new work TLAK. TLAK works similarly to LOK but when completing the word TLAK, you must then eliminate two unused adjacent tiles from the board. Later, you’re introduced to TA where players must choose a tile and have all other identical tiles of the board removed upon using the word. The more progress you make, the more rules are added and once you get to TA, you’re actually responsible for figuring out the rule by yourself, adding another challenge to the puzzles.
LOK Digital is a great concept and one that I found myself fully immersed in from the very beginning. The mechanics are easy to learn, but the puzzles do get very challenging. You’ll likely try out a solution to a puzzle multiple times before you get it right, but there's really no frustration to the process. At least I didn’t get frustrated during my time with the game Steam Next Fest Demo which allows players to play a large chunk of the game's levels.
LOK doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but is set to release this year. You can also visit the website to grab yourself the physical book for free!
Preview by Becca Smith