I don't care much for most puzzle platformers; I usually feel they're too basic, or contrived. So understand my feeling when I say that this game is a labor of love, and that it shows in every facet of its design, right down to the oddly (somehow) unique pixel graphics.

The premise is simple: you have three little monsters, you control them one at a time, and you must guide them each to the exit of each level. There is no time limit, and no serious penalty for death; they simply respawn at the entrance. But here's the tricky bit; the world has become fragmented, though not necessarily broken. You can see the full picture, it's just that the full picture is muddled and confused, with pieces going every which way in no discernible order. Simply reaching the exit of each level becomes more complex, as even a straight pathway can take your monsters to every corner of the screen, or worse, numerous corners all at once.

Each monster has a specific color, which may be required when activating a block or, as you'll later discover, special abilities. Each monster can transform into one of three specific beasties, each with their own special ability necessary to complete a stage. The only one I'll mention is that of our orange monster, who transforms into a bird(?) of sorts and has the ability to shift the fragmented world in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. For the other monsters, this matters little, but for her, she can remain still, while the world swirls around her, allowing her to move to entirely different fragments that may have been unreachable otherwise.

To reach each end, you must gather a number of hearts strewn about each stage, thereby opening the door. But as you progress, this task slowly becomes more complex, as mechanics more complicated than jumping ledge to ledge are uncovered. The way these mechanics present themselves is a big part of why I enjoy this game so. See, it's never spelled out for you; there isn't a mid-level tutorial message or loading screen hint giving a dry description of how hitting a switch opens doors. The game simply presents you with the opportunity to touch and experiment with things, and these range from the simple (hitting a block with the correctly colored monster) to the complex (learning to properly manipulate the world's fragments). What makes this game special is that even the simplest mechanics are so often used in different and unique ways between each level. I often felt impressed by the simple brilliance of many of the layouts, and how so many of them would educate and influence your actions in the next. It quickly became intuitive to take what I already knew and wonder, "but can I use it this way..?" or, "what happens when I try this".

Each level presents the challenge of gathering every heart without losing a single monster even once, rewarding you with a special heart symbol and, on occasion, an entirely new level. Majority of games, I wouldn't care for such frivolity, but the very clear dedication that went into making each and every level stand out as a unique entity makes the practice of perfecting every single one of them feel very, very worthwhile.

At the time of writing this review, I've completed what I suspect to be over half of the available levels, and I do plan to complete the rest before too long. Should I make any new discoveries in that time that I feel just has to be in this review, I will be sure to make note. That's just how good this game is. I very much want to fully complete this title, and experience every last ounce of thought and love that the developers put into making it. And as someone who typically feels indifference towards these types of games, that says a lot.

Where Is My Heart? is a cute little puzzle platformer with a surprisingly refreshing idea. The idea is simple; the level is split up into several little windows all containing parts of the level, and some of them overlapping each other. So if you walk in a straight line you'll appear in a different window after just a few steps (which can basically be anywhere on the screen), all this while still walking straight, mind you. It's a difficult concept to explain and really needs to be seen in action to understand it all. It's confusing at first, but once it clicks it's one of the best and charming puzzle games you'll ever play.

It's short, with its 26 levels (2 hours) of gameplay, because it's also the only way to keep the idea fun and fresh. Any longer and it wouldn't have made such an impact. Well, or maybe less anyway.

There's also a story behind all the puzzling and it too is charming, and even a bit sad. The retro graphics help set the mood and they truly fit this amazing little game. And the music manages to support the game in a relaxing way.

Where Is My Heart? is highly recommended and needs to be played by as many people as possible.

[Rating: 83/100]

Where is my heart? It's a rather existential question that I wouldn't have an immediate answer to. Perhaps with a loved one, or a place I am or long to be; at any one time my heart could be any number of places or nowhere at all, if I'm feeling especially down. Where is my Heart, the game, doesn't concern itself as much with metaphorical musings or heavy philosophical discussion, but all the same invites a certain curiosity to it. Even when saying little, there's a distinct undertone of the developers hinting at something more meaningful than the journey of a trio of monsters to find their magical tree, which feels trapped just beneath the surface longing to get out.

Before I get ahead of myself, Where is my Heart is a puzzle platformer best summed up as a walk-in sliding puzzle. The world has become shattered, disorganized, split into various sized panes that each show but a part of the whole level. Your objective then becomes one of observation and out of the box navigation, having to traverse an area where walking through one pane rarely puts you on the other side, but instead somewhere entirely different on the screen. It's a hard concept to wrap your head around, even after spending a good deal of time with the game, but as you begin to understand it as a mechanic its brilliance starts to become apparent.

Taken out of context, the levels themselves rarely amount to much, but when splintered into dozens of screens then switched around they become puzzles within themselves. It pushes you to think of abstract paths and tests your memory to remember which panes line up with each other. Adding in a selection of special character powers only adds to the tantalizing challenge, that seems so thoughtfully planned out and lovingly designed. But for all the love and care that evidently went into making WIMH, all throughout the experience it seems almost scared of becoming too clever, or inserting too much personality into the level designs.

The outcome of this is a game that lacks substance. Levels are enjoyable to navigate but disconnected from each other and unmemorable in their own right. When I saw the end after only two hours, I couldn't help but feel like much of the game was a missed opportunity to use such an original mechanic, which never seemed to evolve past what was seen in the first few levels. This doesn't mean I disliked WIMH, but I was disappointed that it made such shallow use of its design concepts, instead playing it close to the chest with a game that's cute but not especially inspired beyond its core mechanic, and as such will likely fade from my memory rather quickly.

All that aside, Where is my Heart is still a rather deliciously adorable adventure that is worth undergoing if you can accept it for what it is. The charming ascetic and soothing audio design goes a long way in making up for its underwhelming ambition, to the degree I doubt I could legitimately hate the game even if I wanted to. Much the same as a children book, it's simplistic by nature even to its own detriment, but still incredibly easy to fall in love with and want to revisit again and again.

So where is my heart? I suppose right now it's being held captive by an enchanting little game that wants so much to love you too, if only for a short while.

I'm still making my way through this. I guess the big question on whether it's a good buy or not would be how long it is - just getting into it, there are certainly times that it feels like it ought to be one of those free flash games. But the deeper I get into this, the more I love it. I don't know quite what it is about the mechanics that appeal to me so much more; there's a spark of genius in the it, certainly, but i think it's the execution more than the mechanics or gameplay that's making me enjoy it so much.

The sounds are also just perfect. I think I could just sit and listen to someone playing this. (I also wish I had an hour long version of the promo video, listening to the sounds and the woman talking there is the most relaxing thing ever)

Perhaps I'll have more to say as I get through this, but it's lovely and cute, but most of all fun. It's the first puzzle game in a while that I've tackled where grinding on the same puzzle to get a perfect score is a thing I want to do, not a chore. Granted, I've only just scratched the surface so far; so this has only happened once or twice.

The fact that I'm enamored enough of this game to want to write something positive an hour in says something good, I think.

Simply amazing. Where is my Heart is a breath of fresh air amidst all the recent puzzle platformers.
Behind its cuteness overload lies a gameplay design that is exceptionally complex and unique. The stages are fragmented into multiple disorganized segments which makes navigating through them a real challenge. There is a fine balance between platforming and puzzle solving. You're required to be cautious and constantly aware of your position among all the scrambled segments as well as to use teamwork à la Thomas Was Alone in order to collect hearts and progress to the next level. As if that wasn't enough, the game introduces imaginative character transformations which add another layer of complexity and appeal to the game.
The minimalistic tunes, soothing ambient sounds and cute art style make it an incredibly relaxing yet challenging experience.
I can't recommend this enough if you're a fan of a good brain teaser. 9/10