Squidgies Takeover is a physics-based puzzle game that brings a lot to the table for people who love a challenge. Colorful and cute graphics make Squidgies visually appealing, and a plethora of puzzles presents a positive experience. The goal, as the title suggests, is helping the adorable squidgies take over as many planets as you can, all while exploring creative solutions to each level.

Squidgies Takeover works well both docked and handheld. Docked, you use a joy-con to point at the screen and help your squidgies. The joy-con feels surprisingly natural to use. It isn’t clunky, and is very intuitive. I personally preferred this way of playing. In handheld, the touchscreen offers you a little more security, but it honestly felt unwieldy. If the game were on a phone it might be better suited to handheld play. However, there are merits to both methods.

The puzzles themselves are challenging enough. The physics of the game is easy to grasp and offers lots of opportunities to be challenged. Each level begins with a limited number of powerups that change squidgies so that they can overcome obstacles. Oftentimes this means sacrificing one squidgie to maximize the number you can help. The levels happen fast, as squidgies are just dropped into the puzzle straight away, so you must be quick on your feet to decide the best strategy.

There are new challenges to unlock once a level has been completed perfectly. These are called “feats” and require you to complete a level again with different requirements. Sometimes this can feel repetitive, as you might have already finished the feat before unlocking it. There also isn’t too much incentive outside of personal satisfaction, so depending on the type of gamer you are, these extra challenges might feel arbitrary.

All in all, this game is well-designed and easy to pick up and play. Though it might not be for the most avid gamers, people who enjoy thinking on their feet should give it a try.