Sokobond Express Review

I’m a sucker for puzzle games, as they’re always a fun way to pass the time. While some people have their cosy games to relax, I like my brain teasers. While science was never my strongest subject (hence, why my dream of becoming an astronaut was dashed at a young age), that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy some chemistry challenges. In this case, Sokobond Express fits the bill.

Described as minimalist by developers José Hernández and Draknek and Friends, in Sokobond Express, you need to link chemical bonds together. There are several different levels, with each one unlocking a new mechanic to offer an increase of challenge. You either get a new chemical that can connect more than one, or you can finally crisscross the line to ensure they fit in the box.

Thinking out of the box isn’t recommended, so don’t try to put any atoms or molecules outside. It won’t work, and they shouldn’t clash either. It’s all about positioning, and I quite liked it. As mentioned before, science isn’t my strongest point, and I think that Sokobond Express has taken to heart that you don’t have to be a chemist to understand the game.

The puzzles themselves don’t take too long to solve, and I found that if I got stuck, the hints were both helpful while also still supplying a challenge. Each hint would show you the shape of the bond, but it didn’t tell you how to make it. As someone who hates it when hints reveal everything, this was a pleasant surprise that made for a relaxing experience.

With a lo-fi zen soundtrack, I was able to immerse myself quickly in the world of Sokobond Express. With the completion of each level, you’re rewarded with a branching path to connect to another puzzle and a small bit of chemistry knowledge. It’s a nice touch and a great way to up your science skills, especially if you’re a student.

I find that Sokobond Express stands on its own well. I found out while playing it that this was a sequel to the 2014 game Sokobond (which has now been added to my wishlist) and Cosmic Express, which was released in 2017 (also added to my wishlist) as there’s no doubt that Sokobond Express has provided a fun little challenge for me. It didn’t feel like it was too challenging, but it still offered enough to satisfy my pride.

Personally, the only issue I found was when dragging my atoms along, the connecting line didn’t always go where I wanted it to go. I’d have to be careful to keep it in the lines, and it was easy to end up dragging it somewhere where it wasn’t supposed to be. Overall, it was a little bit sensitive, but I wouldn’t say it was a major issue. It could have easily been a problem that I had.

While I loved the minimalist vibe going on, there’s a part of me that wished the background would change colour every once in a while. Albeit, this is mostly due to a little bit of ADHD, and I think that I would have been more invested, but again, I think that would just be a stylistic feature that I would have liked. Otherwise, I think that Sokobond Express did a great job of keeping me hooked, and it definitely felt like I was better at science than I was.