Call it a bias on aestetics, but when I bought a game with as much of an adorable presentation of ilomilo, I expected it to be the kind of game I can play laid back where brain power is hardly needed. And despite being proved incredibly wrong before with the hardcore challenge that Super Monkey Ball was, it’s basically déjà vu with a whole new fun puzzle game that hides its eventually haunting challenge within its apple tea flavored shell.

But for the record, it’s certainly not complete utter hell from the get-go. Like most other great puzzle games, the premise is a textbook definition of simplicity. Your objective is to get these cute-as-a-button creatures called Ilo and Milo to meet up over a blocky obstacle course. It’s a fun new kind of brain trainer where you constantly shift between perspectives, all for the sake of a happy Ilo and Milo dance, as well as for the eye-candy collectables.

And for the first two worlds, it is as blissful an experience as the LittleBigPlanet-inspired visuals imply that it is. But once you reach the latter half, where elevator and sideways-moving blocks, creatures that block your path in multiple ways and the constantly switching perceptions cause headaches, the game’s true nature as a puzzler shines.

It honestly makes me wish there were even more levels than there are so the developers can smooth out the transition from easy to hard. But between the clunky movements of the characters and moments where I had to restart the puzzle from the convoluted level layouts, this is simply a “good” puzzle game that thankfully does nothing to make the experience turn mediocre.

However, the presentation is certainly on a superb level. The graphics look incredibly detailed, making those adorable aesthetics all the more soul-pleasing. Props should also be given to the music that uses a variety of instruments to make for a score that never gets irritating. Even if the actual puzzle game doesn’t have much “wow factor,” it’s presented in a way that makes me feel like I’m sipping Sleepytime Tea in front of a fireplace.

So the question in the end is, if a good puzzle game like ilomilo is worth $10 dollars when you can find cream-of-the-crop like Cut the Rope available for less than a dollar. If I could turn back time, I likely would’ve waited for a price drop but for all the fun moments that I did have, and with a presentation that is top quality, ilomilo is certainly a game that has value for its price point.