Green With Energy Review

Green With Energy is a puzzle-simulation game developed by Orbifold and released on the 14th of September. In it, you design and test power grid systems in different situations and with different ways to generate electricity and store it. There isn't a story for the game as it’s mostly a casual experience, which does make it a lot less interesting for players who prefer narrative-focused games. Casual players might enjoy this style of game, though, and games don’t necessarily need a story to be engaging and fun.

Placing down objects costs money depending on the location in which you place them and which ones. Completing the challenges present in the game is pretty easy, although there are a few levels that are a little difficult. Even the difficult ones make sense once you figure them out, and I was never stuck not knowing how to complete the level. In order to progress, you don’t need to do anything but solve the basic puzzle of how to power everything — but the main point isn’t just progressing: there are some extra challenges you can do, such as connecting all the buildings or staying within a certain budget. The game does a good job of staying interesting by introducing new mechanics even late into the game and making you want to keep playing. The biggest problem is that when you fail, the explanation as to what caused it can be very unclear and lack important details: “There was a power cut” is one of the most common explanations, but it can mean so many different things happened! All in all, though, the gameplay is pretty fun but isn’t anything special or innovative.

The art style used for Green With Energy is clear and fits the game well. Everything is nice to look at, but it’s not very special. There aren’t any cool effects or anything special to differentiate it from other indie titles that look similar, which is a shame. It’s still good, though, and it doesn’t really hurt how enjoyable the game is.

The way sound is designed for the game is a little weird; some SFX are very loud, and others are very quiet. If too much electricity is generated and put into a battery, there could be an explosion, and the explosion’s volume is so much louder than other effects in the game that it was basically a jumpscare when it first happened to me. Lowering the volume to be more comfortable makes some sounds almost unhearable, and it feels like the effects’ volumes weren’t synchronised. The music is a little hard to hear but is overall great. It sounds really nice and fits Green With Energy well.

So, the game has an interesting gameplay and manages to keep everything feeling fresh. Almost everything is well-designed, and every puzzle makes sense in the context of power-grid designing. The inconsistent sounds hurt the game a lot, though, and the lack of even a basic story doesn’t do really well paired with the fact that you can’t just skip levels you don’t enjoy, forcing you into a linear path.

In conclusion, Green With Energy is pretty fun but not anything to be amazed by. It doesn’t play badly, but there are just so many problems, and everything is just average. I would recommend it only for people wanting a basic puzzle game, as it doesn’t feature anything else. The short and easy eight achievements in the game also mean that it’s a nice and fun way to get one more 100% into your Steam stats if you’re interested in that.