Deep beneath my desk lies a secret shame: an impenetrable black thicket of power cords sprouting from two overlapping expansion modules. Such a failure in cable management pierces my conscience like the beating of Poe’s iconic heart, and yet I am forever powerless – because I can’t care less – to do anything about it. But even I was reassured by the Steam Next Fest demo for Plug It In, a laid-back puzzle game about plugging chunky plugs into appropriate sockets.
In most cases, it is simply a matter of matching the plug shapes to the appropriate sockets and rotating the former so that they all fit within the boundaries of the functionally shaped socket slots. While cozy tunes play in the background. Highlights include puzzles where plugs contain their own sockets, adding a touch of 3D stacking power that’s satisfying even when the structure looks like it’s one spark away from burning down the entire zip code.
This is helped by the pristine, basic graphics and absolutely delicious the clicking sound when you plug in the plug makes it feel like playing with blocks. Instead of, you know, the dusty, creaky tedium of sorting through extension sockets in real life. My only complaint is that it’s not always obvious why a plug won’t be inserted when it seemingly fits the connection type and no other plug is blocking its path. This happened to me with a few puzzles that I eventually solved with alternate arrangements, but still. What was wrong with the first one?!
But don’t let that put you off too much – Plug It In is a lovely, relaxing little puzzle for neatness freaks and embarrassed cable neglecters alike. You can try the demo version on Steamand there is a browser version you can play on Itch as well – although the Steam edition looks a bit more extensive and refined.
