{"id":120301,"date":"2020-11-05T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/tens"},"modified":"2020-11-05T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T18:00:00","slug":"mini-review-tens-immediately-accessible-puzzle-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/11\/05\/mini-review-tens-immediately-accessible-puzzle-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini Review: TENS! &#8211; Immediately Accessible Puzzle Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/1b438b9f819e6\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/1b438b9f819e6\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<aside class=\"picture embed pictures\" id=\"screenshots\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109895\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109895\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"TENS! Review - Screenshot 1 of 7\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>For many, maths (or math, for you folks over the pond) isn\u2019t always the most therapeutic of exercises. It can be downright perplexing at times, and if you don\u2019t have a natural aptitude for numbers (like <em>this<\/em> writer), then frustration can set in quickly. It\u2019s good, then, that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/tens\"><strong>TENS!<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 from developer Kwalee \u2013 doesn\u2019t ask <em>too<\/em> much from the player in terms of mathematical brainpower; all you need is a basic understanding of addition and subtraction, and that\u2019s really <em>it<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In a nutshell, TENS! is a puzzle game in which you\u2019re presented with a blank 5&#215;5 grid. Within this grid, you\u2019ll need to place numbers from 1 to 6 in any space you see fit, with the eventual goal to make as many rows or columns add up to ten in one go. The numbers themselves are available either on their own, or they can be linked together, kind of like a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/gameboy\/tetris\">Tetris<\/a><\/strong> piece. Reaching the number 10 will clear the row and\/or column, awarding you with points in the process; clear multiple in one swoop, and you\u2019ll gain bonus points.<\/p>\n<p>It sounds incredibly simple in theory, and to be fair, the game is remarkably easy to pick up and start playing. It\u2019s only when you get a bit deeper that it starts to become <em>fiendishly<\/em> tricky. As you progress through the game, you\u2019ll start seeing variations on the formula, designed to directly affect how you play. For example, question mark blocks will start appearing within the grid; place a number on one of these, and it will automatically change that number to a completely different one. Utilising this can often be a bit of a gamble; it can help you out on some occasions, but can also just as easily push you over your target number, making the puzzle instantly more difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the regular solo sessions, there are also multiple occasions in which you\u2019ll go face-to-face against an AI opponent. The gameplay here is significantly more frenetic, as clearing rows and columns will add \u2018junk\u2019 blocks to your opponent\u2019s grid, and vice versa, preventing numbers from being added; very similar to Tetris or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/puyo_puyo_tetris_2\">Puyo Puyo<\/a><\/strong>, in a way. These sessions can be frantic and stressful, but the difficulty rarely gets demanding enough to dampen your enjoyment.<\/p>\n<p>The game is split into three distinct modes: Adventure is the main single-player campaign and tasks you with completing puzzles in a linear fashion; Endless puts you straight into the action and ends only when you run out of moves; finally, Multiplayer Mode lets you play against a friend or family member over local play. Sadly, there\u2019s no online play available here, which seems like a bit of a missed trick.<\/p>\n<p>TENS! is very much like Sudoku; it\u2019s the kind of puzzle game that is so immediately accessible to everyone, it\u2019s actually quite difficult to pick out any significant flaws. Ultimately, your enjoyment of the title will come down to how much you want to play a game that\u2019s essentially about adding and subtracting numbers. It\u2019s not for everyone, but if you\u2019re up for it, then TENS! will sink its hooks in you and won\u2019t let go for a long time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many, maths (or math, for you folks over the pond) isn\u2019t always the most therapeutic of exercises. It can be downright perplexing at times, and if you don\u2019t have a natural aptitude for numbers (like this writer), then frustration can set in quickly. It\u2019s good, then, that TENS! \u2013 from developer Kwalee \u2013 doesn\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}