Expand from Blitworks and UKIYO Publishing is a fun and minimalist fast-paced puzzler on PlayStation 4. Learn more about it in our Expand review!

 

In Expand you play as a small red-ish square that must move around a spherical puzzle to reach the exit, wherever that may be. The playing area is either white for the paths you can travel or black for the area that is out of reach and unplayable. There’s also red involved in this puzzler, and touching red pieces is bad since it will reset the current area. And just to make sure you don’t memorize the layout, the game will spin around the angle at which you start again in your current location to spice things up. Oh, and there are also come grey switches you’ll need to activate to change the way pieces flow or to open new paths.

The very first level does a great job of teaching you the basics, with messages that basically tell you to follow the path it will set for you to reach your goal. All you need to worry about is moving with the left analog stick, and you’re set. The first level might feel short at first, but just when it seems like a path is about to open to the end of the puzzle, it will circle around and show you a new path where black pieces come flying your way, forcing you to avoid them to advance. After a few more sections with moving pieces, both of the black and white variety, and learning about patience after being crushed by a block or two, you’ll complete the first level and open the way to the rest of the game.

Expand, as its name suggests, plays with expanding and contracting the playing area, moving pieces around to show you the way. The playing field will constantly change after you reach a checkpoint, throwing a new setting for you to traverse. You’ll see small moving pieces, curve lines that will push you towards specific spots, pieces that will contract or expand to reveal new paths that might get smaller or bigger the closer you get to the end, and more.

The game includes a short trophy list with only ten trophies in total, with one Gold, four Silver and five Bronze to collect. The good news is that all are awarded for progressing in the game, making this one a list with unmissable trophies.

Expand is a great puzzle game in PlayStation 4 that I definitely recommend you play. The game might be short, since it can be completed in around 2 hours or so, but for me, it’s actually the perfect length since it presents a gameplay mechanic, allows you to enjoy it, and then ends before it overstays its welcome. If you’re a fan of minimalist puzzle games, then you definitely need to play this one!

Disclaimer
This Expand review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by UKIYO PUBLISHING.