Reason for Playing: On my custom "Recommended by Filter" list. Small game on my Zenbook.
Overview: A puzzle game where the player pushes around sausages until they're grilled to perfection.
20191111:
I actually had no idea what this game was about when I chose to play it but I suppose the name sounded interesting. It was one in about 50 games on my "Recommended by Filter" list which was installed on my Zenbook.
Setup: Xbox controller.
Game Mechanics: Immediately the game is difficult, because it first expects players to figure out how to initiate a level. Then it players to figure out the point of the game. For those who are stuck, I'll provide the answer to both here. Begin a level: Orient your player and pitchfork over the ghostly image of yourself. Goal of the game: Cook every sausage in the level evenly. A sausage is two spaces wide and had two sides. Thus the sausage can be thought of having four faces and each face must encounter a grill exactly once in order to successfully complete a level.
When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 11 sausages. Apparently there are 16 levels and 32 sausages in the first world (according to Stack Exchange reply, the remaining worlds contain the following number of levels & sausages: 10 & 23, 13 & 43, 6 & 12, 11 & 29, and 28 & 76; for a total of 215 sausages).
Steam Game Time: 39 minutes (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Difficult in a good way
+ Wonderful puzzle design
Neutral:
~ Forces players to think for themselves; I normally look for a game to supply a tutorial, but in the case of Stephen's Sausage Roll, the lack of any tutorial seems appropriate
Minor Con:
- Low-end graphics
[20191111]
Summary:
While I have yet to truly dive into the game (39 minutes versus what I hear can potentially be around 40 hours of game time), it has already proven itself to be a challenging and satisfying puzzle game. In other words, when a puzzle is difficult enough that solving it gives a sense of satisfaction, that is a mark of good puzzle design. In contrast, some puzzle games have difficult puzzles but don't feel satisfying when they are solved.
I would currently highly recommend this game to anyone who seeks a challenging puzzle game. I may update my recommendation after I put more time into the game.
[20191111]
20191111 Part 2:
I decided to play some more. When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 44 sausages.
Gameplay Log:
98 minutes = ~48 minutes (complete world 1) + ~50 minutes (world 2)
Total World 1 Time: ~87 minutes (for 16 levels and 32 sausages)
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (total game time) / 1.85 hours (session game time)
Estimated Actual Game Time: 1 hr 38 minutes (session game time)
20191112:
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: 17 minutes (world 2)
Session 2: 3 minutes (world 2)
Session 3: 57 minutes = 45 minutes (complete world 2) + 12 minutes (complete "Cold Jag" of world 3)
Total World 2 Time: ~115 minutes (for 10 levels and 23 sausages)
Steam Game Time: 3.8 hours (total game time) / 1.3 hours (session game time)
20191113:
This game is addicting. When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 101 sausages.
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: Here in World 3 and it feels as if the puzzle difficulty is increasing.
Session 1: 1.2 hours (world 3)
Session 2: 8 minutes (world 3)
Session 3: 125 minutes = 116 minutes (complete world 3) + 9 minutes (complete "Toad's Folly" of world 4)
Total World 3 Time: ~208 minutes (for 13 levels and 43 sausages)
Steam Game Time: 5.0 hours (total game time) / 1.2 hours (session 1 game time)
Steam Game Time: 7.2 hours (total game time) / 2.2 hours (session 2 & 3 game time)
20240225:
Today I tried to resume the game. Luckily the game seems to use Steam cloud and my old save game was available. I tried various levels within world 4 but they were all very difficult and I didn't manage to solve a single one. Though as I wrote the previous sentence, I had a thought I want to try out.
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: Felt frustrated after trying a few levels.
Session 2: Wanted to try something out in "Gator Paddock" but I forgot what this was.
Session 2: Despite my original reason to return not working, I continued playing and had an "ah ha" moment. I realized that the protruding block above the grill could be used to remove a sausage on top of my head, and that more essentially a sausage on top of my head could be spun into the correct orientation. The latter realization being the bigger "ah ha" because I recognized this would be useful in solving another puzzle I had tried ["Sludge Coast"]
Remark: the save file had 101 sausages collected
Session 2: So from my solution to "Gator Paddock" in hand, I went to "Sludge Coast." The solution wasn't free from the "ah ha" moment, but the "ah ha" moment was an essential component to the solution.
Session 2: "Foul Fen" completed. The "ah ha" moment came into play. As an aside, partway into the puzzle I had my doubts and wanted to know how to release my forklift (because I remember having done so before). As such, I read on how to do it, and it was clear that this level didn't need it - though I may have spoiled part of the game to come.
Session 2: Tried replaying "Wretch's Retreat," which I recall was the first level I played during Session 1. While I'm sure it makes use of the earlier "ah ha" moment in some way, I wasn't quite sure how.
Steam Game Time: 8.3 hours (cumulative game time) / 1.1 hours (session 1 game time)
Steam Game Time: 9.1 hours (cumulative game time) / 0.8 hours (session 2 game time)
20240226:
Played some more. Unlocked a world sausage (110 sausages). Stuck at next level (three sausages).
Steam Game Time: 10.1 hours (cumulative game time) / 1.0 hours (session game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ The difficulty of the game is it's strength; designed in a way that feels rewarding and smart (although sometimes frustrating)
Neutral:
~ Something about the game's low end graphics allow one to focus on the gameplay... or perhaps the focus on the gameplay makes the graphics inconsequential
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Stephen's Sausage Roll (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Stephen's Sausage Roll (Wikipedia.org)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (steamdb.info)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (Steam Store Page)
29.99 29.99 5.99
Tip/"Mathematics" for World 1:
The sausage will roll along one direction and shift along the orthogonal direction. Shifts preserve the faces of the sausage which are facing the ground. Rolls switch the faces which point to the sky and the faces which point to the ground. As a result, there needs to be at least two grills to cook a sausage and those two grills must have different parities.
For example, a vertically-oriented sausage will require a grill on "1" and a grill on "2":
12121212
12121212
12121212
12121212
12121212
While a horizontally-oriented sausage would require a grill on "1" and a grill on "2" as follows:
11111111
22222222
11111111
22222222
11111111
A weaker statement is that a single grill cannot cook both sides of a single sausage.
[20191111]
Tip/"Mathematics" for World 2:
In World 2 the player must often utilize picking up a sausage. This can be used to alter the fixed parity discussed above for World 1. Thus a part of the problem solving procedure is to determine if the grills provided require a parity change and if so how can that parity change occur.
[20191112]
Overview: A puzzle game where the player pushes around sausages until they're grilled to perfection.
 |
| One of the earlier levels. |
20191111:
I actually had no idea what this game was about when I chose to play it but I suppose the name sounded interesting. It was one in about 50 games on my "Recommended by Filter" list which was installed on my Zenbook.
Setup: Xbox controller.
Game Mechanics: Immediately the game is difficult, because it first expects players to figure out how to initiate a level. Then it players to figure out the point of the game. For those who are stuck, I'll provide the answer to both here. Begin a level: Orient your player and pitchfork over the ghostly image of yourself. Goal of the game: Cook every sausage in the level evenly. A sausage is two spaces wide and had two sides. Thus the sausage can be thought of having four faces and each face must encounter a grill exactly once in order to successfully complete a level.
 |
| One of the harder levels. |
When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 11 sausages. Apparently there are 16 levels and 32 sausages in the first world (according to Stack Exchange reply, the remaining worlds contain the following number of levels & sausages: 10 & 23, 13 & 43, 6 & 12, 11 & 29, and 28 & 76; for a total of 215 sausages).
Steam Game Time: 39 minutes (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Difficult in a good way
+ Wonderful puzzle design
 |
| One of the earlier levels. |
Neutral:
~ Forces players to think for themselves; I normally look for a game to supply a tutorial, but in the case of Stephen's Sausage Roll, the lack of any tutorial seems appropriate
Minor Con:
- Low-end graphics
[20191111]
Summary:
While I have yet to truly dive into the game (39 minutes versus what I hear can potentially be around 40 hours of game time), it has already proven itself to be a challenging and satisfying puzzle game. In other words, when a puzzle is difficult enough that solving it gives a sense of satisfaction, that is a mark of good puzzle design. In contrast, some puzzle games have difficult puzzles but don't feel satisfying when they are solved.
 |
| Oh no, the fork got detached! |
I would currently highly recommend this game to anyone who seeks a challenging puzzle game. I may update my recommendation after I put more time into the game.
[20191111]
20191111 Part 2:
I decided to play some more. When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 44 sausages.
Gameplay Log:
98 minutes = ~48 minutes (complete world 1) + ~50 minutes (world 2)
Total World 1 Time: ~87 minutes (for 16 levels and 32 sausages)
 |
| Another hard level. |
Steam Game Time: 2.5 hours (total game time) / 1.85 hours (session game time)
Estimated Actual Game Time: 1 hr 38 minutes (session game time)
20191112:
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: 17 minutes (world 2)
Session 2: 3 minutes (world 2)
Session 3: 57 minutes = 45 minutes (complete world 2) + 12 minutes (complete "Cold Jag" of world 3)
Total World 2 Time: ~115 minutes (for 10 levels and 23 sausages)
Steam Game Time: 3.8 hours (total game time) / 1.3 hours (session game time)
20191113:
This game is addicting. When I stopped playing my save slot said I had collected 101 sausages.
 |
| Save Selection (Ketchup, Mustard, and Barbecue) |
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: Here in World 3 and it feels as if the puzzle difficulty is increasing.
Session 1: 1.2 hours (world 3)
Session 2: 8 minutes (world 3)
Session 3: 125 minutes = 116 minutes (complete world 3) + 9 minutes (complete "Toad's Folly" of world 4)
Total World 3 Time: ~208 minutes (for 13 levels and 43 sausages)
Steam Game Time: 5.0 hours (total game time) / 1.2 hours (session 1 game time)
Steam Game Time: 7.2 hours (total game time) / 2.2 hours (session 2 & 3 game time)
20240225:
Today I tried to resume the game. Luckily the game seems to use Steam cloud and my old save game was available. I tried various levels within world 4 but they were all very difficult and I didn't manage to solve a single one. Though as I wrote the previous sentence, I had a thought I want to try out.
Gameplay Log:
Session 1: Felt frustrated after trying a few levels.
Session 2: Wanted to try something out in "Gator Paddock" but I forgot what this was.
Session 2: Despite my original reason to return not working, I continued playing and had an "ah ha" moment. I realized that the protruding block above the grill could be used to remove a sausage on top of my head, and that more essentially a sausage on top of my head could be spun into the correct orientation. The latter realization being the bigger "ah ha" because I recognized this would be useful in solving another puzzle I had tried ["Sludge Coast"]
Remark: the save file had 101 sausages collected
Session 2: So from my solution to "Gator Paddock" in hand, I went to "Sludge Coast." The solution wasn't free from the "ah ha" moment, but the "ah ha" moment was an essential component to the solution.
Session 2: "Foul Fen" completed. The "ah ha" moment came into play. As an aside, partway into the puzzle I had my doubts and wanted to know how to release my forklift (because I remember having done so before). As such, I read on how to do it, and it was clear that this level didn't need it - though I may have spoiled part of the game to come.
Session 2: Tried replaying "Wretch's Retreat," which I recall was the first level I played during Session 1. While I'm sure it makes use of the earlier "ah ha" moment in some way, I wasn't quite sure how.
Steam Game Time: 8.3 hours (cumulative game time) / 1.1 hours (session 1 game time)
Steam Game Time: 9.1 hours (cumulative game time) / 0.8 hours (session 2 game time)
20240226:
Played some more. Unlocked a world sausage (110 sausages). Stuck at next level (three sausages).
Steam Game Time: 10.1 hours (cumulative game time) / 1.0 hours (session game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ The difficulty of the game is it's strength; designed in a way that feels rewarding and smart (although sometimes frustrating)
Neutral:
~ Something about the game's low end graphics allow one to focus on the gameplay... or perhaps the focus on the gameplay makes the graphics inconsequential
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Stephen's Sausage Roll (PC) (2016)
Relevant Links:
Stephen's Sausage Roll (Wikipedia.org)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (steamdb.info)
Stephen's Sausage Roll (Steam Store Page)
29.99 29.99 5.99
Tip/"Mathematics" for World 1:
The sausage will roll along one direction and shift along the orthogonal direction. Shifts preserve the faces of the sausage which are facing the ground. Rolls switch the faces which point to the sky and the faces which point to the ground. As a result, there needs to be at least two grills to cook a sausage and those two grills must have different parities.
 |
| One of the earlier levels. |
For example, a vertically-oriented sausage will require a grill on "1" and a grill on "2":
12121212
12121212
12121212
12121212
12121212
While a horizontally-oriented sausage would require a grill on "1" and a grill on "2" as follows:
11111111
22222222
11111111
22222222
11111111
A weaker statement is that a single grill cannot cook both sides of a single sausage.
 |
| Overworld. |
[20191111]
Tip/"Mathematics" for World 2:
In World 2 the player must often utilize picking up a sausage. This can be used to alter the fixed parity discussed above for World 1. Thus a part of the problem solving procedure is to determine if the grills provided require a parity change and if so how can that parity change occur.
[20191112]
Date/Time
Monday, November 11, 2019
@
17:30
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