Nightflies

Nature has its quirks that may not make any sense to us, but there is always an explanation for the things that apparently have none. Fireflies and most other flying insects seem to enjoy light bulbs and lanterns because they go out of their way to get as close as they can. While this may not make much sense to a human, the behavior is not without explanation.

Nightflies is a fun puzzle game in which your purpose is to clear the way for a swarm of fireflies, in order for them to reach the lanterns. To do this, you have to make use of beetles and tie the objects to them, so that they pick them up as they fly away. Obviously, the rules are a tad more complicated than that, especially since the physics engine is somewhat realistic.

The first few levels have a tutorial purpose and they take you through most of the possible actions, while also letting you enjoy the game at the same time. Hence, although you start by simply removing boxes and logs, things gradually get more difficult, and you soon have to trigger a series of events by moving a single object. However, the levels never get too frustrating either, so the experience is quite balanced.

One of the more disappointing flaws of the game is the fact that there are too few levels you can enjoy, which is quite the shame. However, you are at least encouraged to replay them multiple times, because you have the chance to increase your score by moving faster. It may not be as fun as the first time around, but your high scores are saved and you can at least get something in return for your effort.

Things are much better in the technical department, because the graphics are nice and the physics engine works well most of the time. There are some annoyances and the occasional bug here and there, but nothing that cannot be resolved by simply restarting the level. However, the soundtrack is not exactly top-notch and you may be inclined to turn the music off in a rush.

In the end, Nightflies is certainly not perfect and it lacks the content to become a fan favorite, but the idea is nice and you can certainly have a lot of fun with it. Moreover, the graphics are smooth and each level presents you with a different challenge.