7. Otostaz (Sony, Playstation 2, 2002)

Otostaz is a puzzle game that was only released in Japan. The game is actually fully in English, a fact that I was not aware of until after I spent some time with it (The english is accessible via a menu, the game is in Japanese by default).

The mechanics of the game are not that hard to understand but they are somewhat difficult to explain concisely, so I will just say that it is a logic / grid based puzzle game where you are building structures with various tiles that have synchronic effects when placed near each other. Otostaz is actually a compound of the Japanese "otosu" (drop) and "tatsu" (stand) because you are dropping tiles to make buildings stand / rise up. The in-game tutorials did a good job of explaining the basics. The game is all about building chains, and at least early on, the difficulty feels just right where I can pass the levels with some skill but not feeling like I have mastered the game yet.

Otostaz has a bumping big band style soundtrack that sets a nice mood to go with the cute paper cutout-style graphics. The characters kind of remind me of Fido Dido, but more angular. The game has a tour mode with six 3-level stages as well as a puzzle mode for more straight up logic, as well as a 2 player vs. mode.

4/5, a neat puzzle game with a cool aesthetic