HeartLinks: A Puzzle Called Love

About HeartLinks: A Puzzle Called Love

HeartLinks: A Puzzle Called Love is a puzzle platformer developed by Flip Alive Games. Released on December 31, 2026, it blends adventure and puzzle mechanics in a whimsical anime school setting. You play as Ai, a girl obsessed with confessing to her crush, navigating her school’s classrooms and hallways. Each friendship grants a tool, like a grappling hook or ice slipper, to solve environmental puzzles. It’s a single-player experience focused on charm-driven exploration and clever obstacle courses. The game targets casual and puzzle enthusiasts with its lighthearted tone and bite-sized challenges.

Gameplay

You move Ai through a grid-based school, hopping between rooms to collect items from classmates. Each friend gives a unique ability: one lets you freeze surfaces, another grants temporary slipperiness to slide across floors. Puzzles often require combining tools, like using an ice slipper to create momentum for a grappling hook swing. Sessions typically last 20, 30 minutes, with classrooms acting as self-contained challenges. Controls are tight, emphasizing precise jumps and timing. The school’s design shifts subtly, hiding paths behind walls or locked doors, encouraging replayability. While the platforming is straightforward, later puzzles demand creative use of multiple items, balancing accessibility and depth.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate it 7.8/10, with 68% completing the main story. Average playtime is 5.5 hours, though 35% replay levels for achievements. Community moods: 40% relaxing, 30% nostalgic, 20% humorous. Review snippets include “Puzzles get clever in the second act” and “Characters feel like old classmates.” Critics note the soundtrack’s charm but call the school layout repetitive. Achievement completion is 52%, most challenges reward optional collectibles. While 70% of players find the story endearing, 20% cite pacing issues in later chapters.

PlayPile's Take

HeartLinks is a solid pick for puzzle fans who enjoy tactile platforming and anime aesthetics. Priced at $19.99, it offers 50 achievements and a charm-driven narrative. The puzzles hit their mark, but the school’s static design and 5.5-hour runtime make it a quick playthrough. Recommended if you like games like Osmo: Homer or puzzle-heavy indies with a cozy vibe. Skip it if you crave deep world-building or longer campaigns. Worth the price for the inventive item combos and sweet story beats.

Storyline

Play as Ai, a girl who's so hopelessly in love, it feels like everything around her is stopped in time. Traverse Ai's school, hopping from hallway to hallway and clearing each classroom in search of the boy Ai wants to confess to.