PlayStation 5 owners are blessed with some great puzzle explorations this month. Fresh off game of the year contender Sword of the Sea releasing comes Underwater Fire’s Particle Hearts, another exploration-heavy puzzle platformer that will have you putting abilities together to learn more about a mysterious world. Oftentimes gorgeous, it’s a welcome addition to the PlayStation 5 puzzle game library.

Particle Hearts is comprised of eight levels, which all have large open-world areas that you can explore. While there are some glowing white items that give you a general direction to go, it’s largely up to you to explore and figure out what to do. These worlds are gorgeous thanks to the massive number of particle effects and the game’s unique art style, but each individual stage’s area can feel a bit same-y, so it’s easy to get lost at first.

Eventually, you’ll find your way to portals that take you to various shrines with puzzles that you have to figure out. As you continue through the game, you’ll unlock more abilities, such as a long-distance dash and the ability to burst into particles in order to slip past barriers. My favorite puzzles were perspective-based, as I always love seeing seemingly random objects having a surprising meaning. This all helps the puzzles stay fresh and fun, although they’re never on the level of the best of the genre like The Witness.

A lot of the story in Particle Hearts is told through finding optional wind chimes scattered throughout the levels. These will tell you more about the life you led before finding yourself in this particle-filled world. Not everything is as it seems, so it’s fun to piece together the narrative as the game goes along.

The optional wind chimes also add some replayability to the experience. Thankfully, you won’t have to do entire playthroughs to get the ones you missed, as there is a helpful level select option. This allows you to jump right back in if you want to do some trophy cleanup or get some added backstory.

Particle Hearts (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

With a unique look and a story hook that keeps you wanting to continue, Particle Hearts is a successful puzzle game. That being said, it doesn’t reach the highs of the genre’s best, and its exploration can lead you to getting lost at points. However, it’s still a worthwhile experience if you want to scratch that puzzle itch on PS5.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Particle Hearts PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000.

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