I need a 12-step program for this game. I play it for a few days, for way longer than I should, and then I delete it and say I won’t do that again. And then a day or two later, I repeat. Again, and again, and again. It is a very fun and pretty mindless game that I find both entertaining and satisfying, like a good dessert. As an indication of how much I have played it, I can tell you that I almost always get to 20 at least ten times, frequently more than 15 times, and my record is 21 times. I love it, AND I wish there were a way to never be able to load it again. I would get so much more done in my life if that were possible!

So I’ve had this game for a while now, and I love it. My only hangup is that when you are in late-game numbers, every loss forces you to trudge through all the easy stuff again. The menu does give you starting options once you’ve cleared them, but those options are all under 1x 20. The funnest part for me is when the board is stacked and it’s a genuine logical puzzle, every move must be calculated for time and the shape of your board. But getting to that point often means spending half an hour(sometimes 45 minutes, depending on my score) just to get to that point. Beating a high score is gratifying, but putting an hour into this game just to lose one 20 before my high score discourages me from wanting to chase that high score(we all have things to do, even moreso when your time-killer kills too much time). Even if it started you out at, say, 5 or 10 twenties once you hit those scores, it would improve the game experience significantly for me. Maybe that’s just me though, I’m sure for others the sheer time required to get to that point makes winning more gratifying.

Do you have long, boring calls that you need to be “present” for but kill more brain cells than the typical call? This game can be for you! You can get carried into another zone while you zone out the ‘clever’ chatter and midweek banter on the other end of the line. The game has multiple versions of the number matching concept, but the OG is hands down my favorite. Seeing those blocks stack up and then fall into each other is so incredibly satisfying as I ignore the voices around me.

The days are a blur. The last vestiges of my sanity have flown. There are only numbers now. But really- I have been very obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 and even then I have not played nearly as many sessions of that game as I have with this. Twenty has completely taken over my life. I hold conversations while playing it. I have brainstorming sessions while playing it. I’m on work calls while playing it. Really, I’m writing this review as a confessional. Play it at your own risk, truly. It’s too too good.