This minimalist puzzle game could be 2025’s Tetris

digitaltrends.com:

I played a lot of video games when I visited Los Angeles for The Game Awards. I dove into the corporate satire of Revenge of the Savage Planet, got a feel for the furiously funCrimson Desert, and even played To a T with Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi. There’s one game that I’m still thinking about weeks later, though, and it’s much smaller than any of those.

Faraway is the latest game by Sonos Beam vs. Sonos Ray: Which soundbar is best for you?, the creator of 2009 puzzle classic Eliss. The project, set to launch in 2025 for PC, is another retro arcade game set in the trippy reaches of a digitized outer space. It’s a follow-up that’s been 15 years in the making, which may sound surprising when looking at its minimalistic gameplay. You can’t rush great art, though, and Faraway already has all the markings of a simple cult hit.

In Faraway, players simply guide a shooting star through space and make constellations with it. When I sit down to try it out, it takes me a few minutes to figure out how it all works even though it’s essentially a one-button game. When a level begins, my star automatically begins flying through the black of space. As it passes other stars, I can tap a button to magnetize it to one and swing it around to change its direction. The longer I hold the button, the more it turns.

Eventually, I come across a set of stars that needs to be connected into a constellation using my bright buddy’s tail. All I need to do is guide myself from star to star to connect them, all while making sure not to break my chain by passing through a line I’ve created. It sounds simple enough, but I quickly discover that there’s a lot of patience and nuance required to get it right.

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The first skill I learn is to make gentle