Part Time UFO: The cuddly puzzle fun in the test

In Part Time UFO, as the title suggests, we play a small UFO that has got lost on earth and is only equipped with a gripper arm. When we meet a farmer who has lost his cargo, we of course help him to get it back onto his wagon. Even after that, however, there is no time-out for the alien, because the farmer gives us a slip of paper with further mini-jobs for us. After we accept the tasks, we start looking for more work.

Table of contents

1 Sweeter than cotton candy 2 Capitalism in a nutshell 3 Cute puzzle fun

Sweeter than cotton candy

The world of Part Time UFO is cute. Really always, everywhere. Even the onions are sweet. The cuddly style runs through the entire title from front to back. Each level has a colorful, inviting look that was created with a great deal of attention to detail. The characters that are in the background respond to everything we do. Regardless of whether we drop something, pick it up or successfully place it, there is a funny little animation for everything. Tiny and funny details are also often hidden in the background that are not noticeable at first glance. The whole thing is underlined by the soundtrack, which can also only be described as cute. Or after a certain time as annoying, because there is not much variation in the music. Each of the mini-games has a slightly different version of the same soundtrack.

Capitalism in a nutshell

The cute pixel adventure is all about doing part-time jobs and making money. The work is always a mixture of skill and puzzle games. As a working UFO, of course, we help out everywhere, whether we're building monuments or balancing circus monkeys on an elephant. Speaking of balance, at the end of every job it always depends on whether our construction is actually in place. If this is not the case, we have to go back to work. The fun thing here is that we can solve missions in many different ways, the main thing in the end is that whatever we have put together is stable. However, very few missions are complicated. Most can be solved quickly and without much thought, while others put a little more strain on our brain cells. Especially the side missions, of which there are three in each level, add a little spice to the jobs. However, these "side quests" are never annoying. They are displayed by an icon in front of the work and are always meaningfully integrated into the tasks. Sometimes a thief has to be found or a certain number of objects have to be used.

There is always a quest with a timer for this. If we do not complete our main task in the specified time, we will not earn medals. These are required to activate further mini-jobs. Of course we also get money for our work, we are still on earth in the game. We, at the also alien trader, knock the earned money on the head for various costumes. Most are purely cosmetic, but there are a few that have an impact on gameplay. For example, we can fly faster or carry heavy objects with ease. However, this happens to such a small extent that we can always dress the little UFO in the way we like it optically.

The main thing is that all sumo wrestlers are on the mat! Source: PC Games

Cute puzzle fun

The physics of the gripper arm in combination with the many different objects works perfectly. Looking at an object, we can already guess how it will behave in the clutches of the UFOS. In addition, it is always satisfying to find an absurd solution that you believe was not intended by the developers, even if that is of course a large part of the game principle. The only things that bothers you a little bit is that there isn't much to do after the story ends. We can only enter one dungeon. Although this is creatively designed and has puzzles ready to hide rewards, there is only one of these dungeons. More would not have harmed the game, because there are perhaps the trickiest and most interesting ideas of the whole title. In addition, the very repetitive music, no matter how sweet it is, can become exhausting and annoying after a while. Apart from that, Part Time UFO is a funny little puzzle game that fans of the genre can play without hesitation. Unless they are put off by the very cute look.

Part Time UFO is available for iOS and Nintendo Switch.

My opinion

By Yannik Cunha

Author I don't like puzzle games, but still had fun. Usually, I am ironically called "puzzle master" by my friends. My barely existing thread of patience usually makes me aggressive when trying to solve a puzzle that is too big. Part Time UFO offers such short puzzles that I had no problems jumping from level to level. Part Time UFO (NSW) 7/10

Graphics - Sound - Multiplayer - Pros & Cons Sweet optics Nice puzzles Diversity Attention to detail Creative ideas Two levels of difficulty for each level Only one dungeon Little variety in the soundtrack More pros & cons ... Conclusion Part Time UFO is for all those who like to solve a little riddle in between but don't want to use their brain cells completely.