271. Xi (Shift, Playstation, 1998)

Xi (pronounced "Sai" and released in the west as Devil Dice) is a dice-based puzzle game. Before you are even able to start, a chill narrator explains the gameplay to you in a way that viscerally reminds me of Catherine. Gameplay takes place on a 7x7 grid populated by some dice. You control a little fairy looking character who stands on top of the dice, rolling them around to make groups. Once you make a group of adjacent matching dice that at least add up to the number on the dice's faces (i.e. 3 adjacent 3s or 5 adjacent 5s), the dice slowly sink into the playfield and are added to your score, with larger chains and larger numbers each being worth more points.

In addition to the basic rules, Xi allows you to continue to add matching dice to your successful group while the old dice are still sinking into the ground, creating a time-sensitive chain mechanic. While Xi is a daunting game to take in at first, the gameplay quickly gets into a very nice flow. I tried the basic endless mode where the screen slowly fills with dice, and it had an interesting dynamic where the more dice there were on the screen, the easier it was to set up combos, so unlike Tetris where more pieces mean more stress, I did not find that to be the case with Xi. 

As with many other puzzle games, Xi includes a puzzle mode that gives you (initially) simple puzzles to solve with a limited number of moves. This also doubles as a great way to get more comfortable with the mechanics before playing a time-sensitive game mode. Xi really does require spatial mastery, though it is at least merciful enough to give you a view of the 3 visible sides of the die you are standing on, even if it's blocked by other die. You can also rotate the camera with the shoulder buttons to look at the action from different angles, which is super helpful if you haven't memorized the layout of a d6.

In addition to the single player modes, there is a 2 player versus mode (also playable against a CPU), as well as a multiplayer mode for up to 5 players, so those looking for a more intense experience can find that there. But I have learned that I generally prefer a more related puzzle experience, which Xi offers in spades. 

5/5, a chill, brain stretching dice puzzle experience