Out of Order zero

Out of Order zero is a really simple game, but I think the idea works better than I expected. Colours keep rising from towers and I have to sort them into the correct places before everything gets too high. That sounds easy at first, but the pressure builds pretty quickly once more colours start appearing. I like games that can explain themselves without throwing loads of information at me, and this one gets me playing almost immediately. The sorting itself is quite satisfying. I have to pick up the colours and make sure they end up in the right tower before they reach the wrong one. As the rounds go on, everything gets faster and I have less time to think about what I am doing. It starts off feeling almost relaxing and then gradually turns into a proper test of how quickly I can react. I like that change because the basic rules never become complicated, but the pressure keeps increasing. The coins give the game a little more depth too. When I successfully sort the colours I earn coins, which I can spend on items that make later rounds easier. Higher rounds give better rewards, so there is a nice reason to push myself instead of simply stopping after a few easy rounds. There are also skills to upgrade and pets to discover, which gives me a few extra things to work towards. It is not a huge progression system, but it fits this kind of arcade game quite well. I also like the amount of flexibility here. I can play alone or use shared screen play with up to four people, and the game supports different combinations of keyboards and controllers. There is even a map editor and custom colour schemes, which I think is a nice extra for something this small. The ability to change the colour palette is especially useful because I can make the game easier to read for myself instead of being stuck with one fixed setup. The main problem is that the core gameplay is extremely repetitive. Once I understand how the sorting works, most of my time is spent doing the same action faster and faster. The upgrades help, but they do not completely change the experience. I also think the game would benefit from more different types of challenges rather than mostly increasing the speed and pressure. It is fun in short sessions, but I do not see myself sitting with it for hours at a time. Still, I think Out of Order zero is a good little free arcade game. It has a clear idea, the controls are simple and the difficulty naturally increases without making the rules confusing. I like the upgrades, pets and map editor, and being able to use different control setups is a nice touch. It is definitely more of a quick pick up and play game than something I would get deeply invested in, but for that purpose I think it does its job really well. I had fun trying to keep everything organised before the towers got completely out of control. Rating: 7.2/10