Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

And Yet It Moves reinvents the traditional platformer by making the entire world your joystick. In addition to running, jumping, and dodging enemies, you can rotate the environment in 90-degree increments, which completely changes gravity’s pull and the orientation of every obstacle. This simple twist transforms each level into a fresh puzzle, forcing you to rethink standard platform tactics at every turn.

Puzzles range from guiding a shadow double who mirrors your moves to creating momentum for dazzlingly fast spins. You’ll often find yourself using rotating blocks or swinging ledges to clear gaps, outrace falling debris, or even eliminate enemies by dropping objects on them. Though you could theoretically breeze through levels with rotation alone, mastering both rotation and classic platform moves is key to fluid progression and high-speed runs.

Checkpoints are generously placed after every major section, and you get unlimited retries. This encourages experimentation: if you under-rotate and plummet to your death, you’ll respawn in seconds, ready to try a new approach. The learning curve is steady, and the difficulty ramps up as you unlock jungle, fire, and rock–themed levels. For speedrunners, global leaderboards and ghost replays add a thrilling competitive layer.

Graphics

The game’s visual style is a standout: every character and object looks like hand-cut paper moving atop layered backgrounds. This paper-cutout aesthetic gives the world a tangible, crafted feel, as if you’re peering into a living diorama. Even while rotating the scene, shadows and lighting shift realistically, reinforcing the sense of depth despite the 2D plane.

Each act features its own theme—lush jungle vines, smoldering fire pits, and jagged rock faces—while subtle animations keep the scenes from feeling static. Flames flicker, leaves rustle, and particles drift as you turn the world, adding atmosphere without overwhelming the eye. The minimalist color palette ensures that important platforms and hazards remain clear, even during frenetic rotation sequences.

On the Wii, three exclusive levels expand the visual variety with new color schemes and set pieces. Whether you’re playing on PC or console, the performance is smooth, and the crisp, silhouette-driven art style holds up on both large HDTVs and smaller monitors. It’s an art direction that feels both cohesive and inventive, perfectly matching the game’s mechanical twists.

Story

While And Yet It Moves isn’t driven by an elaborate narrative, it weaves a quiet sense of journey through its level design. Early stages introduce you to the basic mechanics in a sunlit clearing, and as you progress you venture through darker caverns and molten corridors, symbolizing a descent into deeper challenges. The shifting backdrops hint at an abstract quest to escape or discover what lies beyond each threshold.

The presence of your shadow double adds an almost poetic element to the storytelling. As you manipulate the world, your silhouette mimics every leap and rotation, reminding you that you’re both actor and audience in this rotating stage. The epilogue—unlocked after completing the three main acts—offers a brief, wordless coda that rewards your mastery of rotation and timing.

Rather than relying on text or cutscenes, the game invites you to interpret its setting and purpose through play. This minimalist approach keeps the focus squarely on the inventive mechanics and encourages you to draw your own conclusions about the protagonist’s journey. It’s a subtle but effective form of storytelling that complements the puzzles without overwhelming them.

Overall Experience

And Yet It Moves delivers a refreshing take on platform puzzles, blending intuitive controls with a singular rotation mechanic that never grows stale. Each level teases you with new ways to twist and turn the environment, and the checkpoint system strikes a perfect balance between challenge and accessibility. Whether you’re a casual player or a hardcore speedrunner, there’s always another trick to learn.

The handcrafted paper-cutout art style, dynamic themes, and seamless performance make this an especially charming package. The absence of lengthy tutorials or narrative detours keeps you immersed in the core gameplay loop, while optional leaderboards and ghost runs provide motivation for repeated playthroughs. The extra Wii levels are a nice bonus for console owners, but the core experience remains equally strong on PC.

Ultimately, And Yet It Moves feels like a crafted puzzle box—each twist and turn revealing new delights. Its blend of platforming and physics-based challenges is both satisfying and endlessly replayable. If you’re looking for a platformer that rewards creativity, precision, and strategic thinking, this is one world-rotating adventure you won’t want to miss.

Retro Replay Score

7.7/10