Undeniably reviewers of Quantum Conundrum will try to liken the game to Kim Swift’s previous projects, Portal and Portal 2, but I’m going to steer away from that. Both games are puzzlers but the similarities are barely there. That being said let’s tackle this beast called Quantum Conundrum.

In Quantum Conundrum you are dropped off by your mother at her brother’s house, your uncle, who also happens to be an inventor/scientist type of guy. He goes by the name of Professor Qwadrangle and you’ve been to his house on previous occasions where he’s shown you numerous gadgetry. This time is different though, your uncle has been trapped in a pocket dimension for some reason. You, the silent protagonist, must traverse through the house, hopping past obstacles, shifting dimensions, and try to stay alive throughout the game.

As Quantum Conundrum begins you start to wonder if the game will ever start. I’m sure that many other games have a long start but you’re not aware of that. The beginning usually has you doing quite a lot more than walking around and jumping. I understand a need for beginning the story but a lot of the inane chatter from Qwadrangle could have been taken out or compacted. Not just in the beginning of the game though, but a lot of the time in between puzzles. Speaking of which there is a lot of “inbetween puzzles” and you’ll find yourself walking down long hallways more often than figuring out the conundrums in this game.

As for said conundrums some of them can be quite puzzling, however I found just as many quite frustrating. Not because they were hard to solve, quite the contrary. I found myself only stumped on some of the puzzles (compared to Portal where I found myself getting stumped more and more as the levels went on). What really got me was the platforming. Not only did you not know where you were landing but you had to aim objects correctly, shift dimensions (more than once at times), and try to jump on oddly shaped objects like couches and chairs at times. There was one particular spot in the game where a bunch of items were spat out in rows and you had to slow time and jump across them. Most of them were couches which were tricky to maneuver at times because of their odd shape.

All that being said Quantum Conundrum isn’t a horrible disaster. There’s a lot of mind tingling puzzles that can stump you and some of the levels can be quite fun indeed, take for instance literally surfing on a couch. You’ve also got the great art work to go along with the game. It’s cartoonish but I like it and the colorful atmosphere is a stark change from the ever present dark and gloomy games of todays day and age. There’s even Q from Star Trek (John de Lancie) doing some amazing voice acting for the snooty yet remarkable Professor Qwadrangle.

Overall I’d have to say that Quantum Conundrum is a fun game to pick up and play. Hardcore gamers may get some enjoyment out of it but there aren’t any guns guns in this game, just a glove that can put you in a dimension of cute fluffy things or one that slows your day down, quite literally. Casual gamers will definitely love this game because of how easily you can pick it up, put it down, and come right back to it. Despite my mean spirited review I did have fun with the game but will have to give Quantum Conundrum an imperfect score of 4/5. The game gives you a mediocre challenge with lots of fun and frustrations at times during the game.