With its simple challenges and gorgeous hand-drawn graphics, Love You to Bits has long been one of our favorite puzzle-adventure games. Its follow-up, Bring You Home from Alike Studio, looks similar to its predecessor—sharing the same cartoony 2D visuals and fluid animation—but plays like something altogether new.
In Bring You Home,you’re a quirky alien named Polo on a quest to rescue your kidnapped pet. But here’s a twist: Instead of controlling Polo, you manipulate the world he’s in to ensure his path is clear of danger.
Sometimes poor Polo treks valiantly into the colorful world you’ve set up for him—to his untimely demise. That’s OK, though, because Bring You Home is all about second—and third, fourth, or fifth—chances.
“Failing is an important part of the gameplay, because you see new and different things,” explains Xavi Terris, who cofounded Alike with his twin brother, Marc. “In fact, lots of players fail deliberately just to see what happens.”
Each setting is its own puzzle, divided into several vertical slices you swipe up or down on to choose different options that create Polo’s path. In some cases, you might have to add walkways or ladders, or remove walls and other barriers. For more difficult scenarios, you’ll tinker with and perfect elaborate contraptions that allow Polo to bounce and ricochet toward the exit.
Thankfully, Bring You Home allows you the freedom to go at your own pace—and we recommend taking your time. It’s the only way to immerse yourself in the game’s abundant beauty.