Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Once Twice Thrice! shines with its tightly woven puzzle mechanics that hinge on the interplay between three distinctly powered wizards. You’ll constantly switch perspectives, guiding the fire mage across lava flows, the earth mage through dense forests, and the water mage over aquatic obstacles. The challenge lies not only in mastering each wizard’s ability, but in anticipating how their powers can be combined to circumvent puzzles and bypass patrolling enemies like golems and sharks.

The level design is devilishly clever, gradually introducing new hazards—flame-spewing statues, water-logged corridors, and roaring lava pits—while encouraging creative solutions. Early stages serve as gentle tutorials, letting you experiment with summoning trees to block golems or dousing fires to clear a path, but later levels demand precise timing and rapid wizard swapping. Realtime control keeps the heart rate up: one wrong move and you may need to restart from the last checkpoint.

Despite its complexity, the controls remain snappy and intuitive. A simple hotkey or controller button press brings your secondary or tertiary wizard to the forefront, and each ability executes without lag. Lever puzzles and pressure plates feel integral, not tacked on, as you strategize positioning: perhaps you need to light a brazier to unlock a door for your water mage, who then extinguishes the flame to allow your tree magician through. This constant juggling makes for a deeply satisfying puzzle loop.

Enemy encounters are more than mere obstacles: they act as dynamic puzzle pieces. For example, the fire wizard can incinerate golems to open new paths but must avoid overextending into lava zones without backup. Meanwhile, the water mage’s extinguishing spray can create temporary platforms for the fire mage, forging multi-step solutions that reward foresight. This layered design ensures each level feels like a miniature brainteaser rather than a rote gauntlet.

Replay value is high for fans of meticulous planning. Speedrunners will delight in optimizing their routes and minimizing downtime between wizard switches, while completionists can hunt for hidden runestones that unlock bonus rooms. Whether you’re tackling a puzzle at a leisurely pace or racing against the clock, Once Twice Thrice! keeps your mind dancing across its vibrant, obstacle-laden stages.

Graphics

Visually, Once Twice Thrice! embraces a crisp, top-down aesthetic with vibrant color palettes that distinguish each mage’s domain. Lava flows glow with molten intensity, cerulean water ripples under the water mage’s footsteps, and lush trees sprout in emerald abundance. The hex-based grid layout remains clean and readable, ensuring you never lose track of your characters or crucial terrain features.

Character and enemy sprites boast charming animations: the fire wizard’s cloak flares when casting, the earth wizard’s staff glows verdantly as seedlings sprout, and the water wizard sends shimmering droplets across the screen. Golems lumber with satisfying weight, while sharks skid across shallow pools with predatory grace. Small touches—like steam rising where water meets lava or leaves drifting from summoned trees—add atmosphere without cluttering the playfield.

Environmental details stand out, too. Doors and levers snap open with mechanical gusto, and decorative elements (cracked tiles, glowing runestones) hint at a deeper backstory. The UI remains unobtrusive, displaying health and cooldown timers in a minimal bar at the top. Importantly, color-blind mode and adjustable contrast options ensure accessibility, letting more players appreciate the game’s visual clarity.

Performance is rock-solid on both PC and console, with stable frame rates even when all three wizards are casting spells simultaneously. Load times between levels are brief, preserving the game’s momentum. Overall, the graphics strike a perfect balance between style and functionality, guiding your eye to the important bits without sacrificing aesthetic flair.

Story

Once Twice Thrice! opts for a light narrative touch, eschewing lengthy cutscenes in favor of wordless storytelling through level design. You are three elemental wizards bound by destiny to traverse a labyrinthine realm rife with traps and guardians. While there’s no deep lore dump, each zone’s architecture and environmental cues hint at an ancient civilization that once worshipped elemental balance.

Subtle details—faded murals depicting a triumvirate of mages, runic inscriptions left by a vanished people—inject a sense of mystery. You may wonder why the realm’s guardians turned hostile, or what cataclysmic event spilled lava and flooded ruins. This absence of handholding lets you fill in the blanks with your imagination, and it keeps the focus squarely on the puzzles rather than arduous narrative interludes.

Character personality shines through gameplay rather than dialogue. The fire wizard’s bold strides into danger, the earth mage’s quiet resolve in forging new pathways, and the water mage’s calm steadiness in extinguishing hazards each leave distinct impressions. Although you won’t find branching story arcs or moral dilemmas, the trio’s silent camaraderie comes through as you guide them in concert toward each level’s goal.

For players craving a richer narrative, the game’s art book (sold separately) offers expanded lore and concept sketches that delve into the world’s history. But even on its own, the story-lite approach suits the puzzle genre beautifully. You spend less time reading and more time strategizing, and the fragmented world-building only enhances the sense of discovery as you unravel each stage’s secrets.

Overall Experience

Once Twice Thrice! delivers a compelling blend of head-scratching puzzles and fluid real-time action. Its core concept—controlling three elementally aligned wizards—feels both novel and elegantly executed. Each level challenges you to think several moves ahead, coordinating abilities in creative ways that keep gameplay fresh even after dozens of stages.

Audio design complements the visuals perfectly. A dynamic soundtrack swells with dramatic strings during tense puzzle segments and shifts to serene flute melodies when you carve out a safe path. Sound effects are crisp: the crackle of flame, the swoosh of water, and the rustle of summoned foliage all reinforce the elemental theme without overwhelming your concentration.

Difficulty ramps up at a steady clip, making the game accessible to newcomers yet satisfying for veteran puzzle aficionados. Hints are woven into the environment rather than forced tutorials, and optional challenge rooms cater to those seeking an extra brain teaser. With over 80 main levels and additional secret stages, there’s plenty of content to justify the price tag.

Cooperative play isn’t available, but the solo experience feels like a well-orchestrated team effort as you juggle your wizardly trio. There’s a palpable sense of achievement each time you execute a multi-step solution or shave seconds off your best time. Add in robust accessibility options and a clean, joyful art style, and you’ve got a package that will please both casual gamers and puzzle purists alike.

In short, Once Twice Thrice! is a masterclass in elemental puzzle design. It rewards experimentation, challenges your strategic thinking, and looks great while doing it. Whether you’re a speedrunner chasing pixel-perfect efficiency or a completionist seeking every hidden secret, this game offers an enchanting experience you won’t soon forget.

Retro Replay Score

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