Divide By Sheep (2015)

Divide By Sheep is a math-based puzzle game with a dark sense of humour. It combines a cute, cartoonish visual style with a darkly comical set of mechanics.

Mechanically, Divide By Sheep plays out in a straightforward manner. You have a fixed number of sheep on each level, and you are tasked to deliver them as three batches of specific numbers. How do you get to these numbers? That's the dark part. If you have six sheep in one place, jumping them over to a smaller platform will reduce their number (and send the extra sheep to their death). Other such mechanics include wolves (that eat sheep), lasers (that cut one sheep into two pieces, which can then be re-joined), trampolines (that distribute sheep into groups) and so on.

The game takes a relaxed tone towards progression and completion. If you can deliver at least one batch of sheep, you can mark a level as complete and move on. If you want to be a completionist and get all the stars, that too is straightforward. There are also no timers involved, so you're free to work out a solution as calmly as possible. The downside here is that solutions tend to be static, so achieving three stars on each level involves trial and error until you get to the three-star solution.

I'll admit that the dark comedy in this game was not to my taste. But even beyond this aspect, the puzzle-based core of the game quickly felt repetitive. There are a large number of levels to tackle, but new mechanics are few and far too spread out. Completing levels in succession tended to be a monotonous process for me. I eventually gave up at about 50% of the game.

In summary, Divide By Sheep is a competent puzzle game with a uniquely dark presentation. The dark comedy aspect may be hit-or-miss, but the core gameplay is solid enough and there are a large number of levels to complete.