Kombine (2016)

Developer: Robert Alvarez
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Casual, Indie, Strategy
Rating: 3.8 of 5, 150 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.9 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A minimalist grid puzzle where you quietly merge matching blocks, starting relaxed but growing tense as higher values become harder to clear.

minimalistpuzzlerelaxingdifficultatmosphericcasualgrid-basedabstract

What players say

Players praise the core puzzle mechanic but are sharply divided by the missing undo button, which forces full restarts on misclicks and makes the time trials feel unfair. The game has no tutorial, only one mechanic repeated across 40 levels, and players warn that early simplicity gives way to frustration.

Screenshots

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More by Robert Alvarez

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.