Like most games, Arranger: an adventure full of puzzles starts with a title screen — but developer Furniture & Mattress has given the introductory screen a little extra flavor. The title screen appears after you click “Start Game,” but that’s not the name of the game yet. At first glance, it’s not a word at all: GER ARRAN. Once you start tapping buttons—for example, moving the analog stick left—everything becomes clear. This is the title screen, but it’s also a tutorial on how to play the game. Move the stick left four times, and you’ll see: Arranger.A recent path opens and the game begins.
Arranger: an adventure full of puzzles is, as the name suggests, a role-playing game and a puzzle game; it will be released on Thursday Nintendo Switch, mobile via Netflix, PlayStation 5AND Windows computer. You’ll take on the role of Jemma, a magical freak who sets out on a journey beyond the tiny town she grew up in. But the whole world is one gigantic puzzle, and Jemma travels around it by moving tiles around a maze-like grid. At the edge of the board, Jemma can move to the other side of any row or column, as long as nothing stands in her way. This may sound complicated, but the basic premise is fairly effortless to understand if you have a chance to try it out. That’s why ArrangerThe game’s title screen is incredibly ingenious: it provides all the necessary information before you dive into the game world.
Image: Furniture & Mattress LLC
From this point on, Jemma is put through a uncomplicated tutorial to test out the possibilities of the world. For example, when something blocks your path, you can move to the other side of the grid. Try to imagine this: three tiles are in a horizontal line. Jemma is on the rightmost tile, and a stationary tree trunk is in the middle. To get to the left side of the trunk, you move the analog stick right once, which moves Jemma to the left of the trunk. This mechanic works both horizontally and vertically.
The rules of traffic never change ArrangerBut Furniture & Mattress repeats this idea throughout the game. Early on, it adds a sword to the mix—the puzzle is figuring out how to get the sword to the unchanging monster you’re fighting. The first boss fight pushes this idea again: the greatsword is “attached” to the monster, so they move together. How can you move the tiles on the board to wrap the creature around you? This makes the game feel challenging, but not frustrating, because the logic is so consistent. There’s also humor in it: sometimes you have to carry characters or other items with you, but sometimes it’s just the product of messy movement.
Moving tiles isn’t just something you do in-game—you can see its effects on the NPCs around you. A neighbor is fixing something with a ladder; while trying to reach something else, I pushed the ladder too far and my neighbor fell to the ground with a bang. In another instance, I knocked over a paint bucket and ended up covering paint for a while. Oops! Elsewhere, I’m constantly dragging potted plants around the world and accidentally rearranging road signs that are supposed to guide me around town. That makes for some really satisfying “aha” moments that come from experimenting with how tiles move, even if it’s messy. That sudden rush of relief, joy, and pride when something clicks amidst the chaos.
Image: Furniture & Mattress LLC
Unlike a conventional RPG, Jemma has nothing to upgrade, no armor to collect, no swords to stash. Everything she (and indirectly you) needs is on the map, ready to be dragged into place. What you’re really doing is gathering knowledge about how movement works and how you can exploit it to get around obstacles or reach a recent location. Each recent area introduces a different iteration of the game’s central idea, forcing you to think about movement issues. It also fits into Jemma’s story—a story of self-discovery—in a way that makes the puzzles feel all the more natural.
Complex and connected with a well-written, truthful story, Arranger is a puzzle game that you can’t miss – it’s clear from the moment you click the “Start” button.
Arranger: an adventure full of puzzles will be released on July 25 for Nintendo Switch, mobile devices via Netflix, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on Steam Deck using a download code provided by Furniture & Mattress. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find more information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
