Netflix's Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure review - "Why stop at furniture? Arrange the world!"

• An adventure where you move the world to move
• Everything you need is on the paths that you can slide by swiping
• You've got to explore the world and slay monsters by getting things in order

We're in an era of gaming where there seems to be an obsession with survival-craft games, a desire to construct the world we want. But, what if the world was already built and our power was just to move things around? Well, that's what Furniture & Mattress LLC envisioned when they created Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure.

This is a 2D puzzle experience with some RPG narrative thrown in and stylized graphics. It pushes you to explore a strange world that is both orderly and chaotic while giving you the power to sort things out in your favour. Maybe this is the game that will bring out the arranger in you?

What is Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure?

When the main focus is puzzles, you usually don't need a reason or motivation to solve them beyond just wanting to see if you can. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure goes the RPG route by trying to add a fantastical plot to your puzzling. You play as the young girl Jemma who was adopted into a small village as a baby.

She grew up developing an unusual ability to move the various paths around her world and by extension, everything that's on them. She decides to head out into the world to see what's out there and maybe find the truth behind her origins. She'll also be dealing with an ominous force called Static that will be a consistent thorn in your puzzle-solving side.

An Organised Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

Sometimes all it takes to make a good game is to establish a key mechanic, test it until it works, and then build the world and challenges around it. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure does that quite effectively and presents visuals to go along with the whimsical nature.

A similar title would be Braid, having an artsy yet still storybook-like design with some serious story elements thrown in. Arranger sets the stage for a long journey with emotional moments sprinkled throughout. The visuals are friendly and colourful to provide some reprieve whenever it gets too real.

And a very real problem that Jemma has is her inability to fully control her ability. The main mechanic allows you to move straight pathways left or right and up or down, allowing you to turn any path into a conveyor belt of sorts. Even when you understand the power, it proves to be its own challenge to manage it when you're navigating a safe area.

It helps convey the idea that Jemma's ability is something that can be harmful even when she's just casually moving around. It's interesting and amusing to see how everything shifts and interacts with the environment especially combined with the loop effect of things hitting the edge and appearing back at the other end.

This sets the stage for some creative puzzles that aren't just based on figuring out the solution, but on reaching it. A lot of areas give you a wide perspective so that you can see all the pieces and start planning before you get close to the important pieces. 

Combining this with the effects of Static creates a tricky scenario where you really need to mind Jemma's position in relation to all the other beings and objects in the area. It makes it so that even the smallest movements can be careless, encouraging you to focus on awareness and you become sharper as a result.

The Clutter of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

You could say that Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is trying to make a commentary on the importance of organisation and spring cleaning. The point is clear, but it sometimes loses the plot in getting to it. The biggest plot hole is a technical aspect that works against the experience.

Despite the simplicity of its appearance, there are times of intense puzzle-solving or simple navigation that cause the game to suddenly sputter and lag. It happens frequently enough that even getting from one side of the area to the other can be a stuttering ordeal.

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There are also issues that come with trying to present story and world elements. There are undefined points of no return so you never know when and if you've seen everything that an area has to offer.

A prime example is that start that presents a locked door which appears important to the story…only for it to be abandoned if you decide to solve a puzzle in another, less talked-about house instead. You replay if needed, but in a game this short, it feels like a defeat to miss even the smallest detail.

Getting Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure in order

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is a 2D puzzle journey about sliding pathways around to navigate areas and fight monsters. It has a charming art style and an entertaining mechanic that lays the groundwork for challenging and interesting puzzles to solve.

It could use some refinement in processing and running to keep things smooth, while also revisiting how certain elements are depicted so that you don't miss the chance to examine them. If you feel out of sorts, maybe you could use an arranger.