Published 29/01/2023.

Handshakes

This year, when it comes to my perusal of new video games, I decided that I’d dive into the third tier of hell that is the Steam New Releases page. And yes, it’s still exactly what I thought it was. I mean, to be fair, if there’s six different sequels to the classic Sex With Furry Hitler, it can’t be that bad, right? Anyway, I know for a fact that there is good stuff hidden away in the depths of the new releases tab, and some of these aren’t ever going to get the attention they deserve because of the shitty way Steam can curate new developers. Today’s review, featuring the new indie title Handshakes, hasn’t quite befallen that fate, but it’s still a smaller-scale title few people know about that I want to get the word out, as small as my reach is.

Handshakes comes to its players with a very, very simple puzzle-game concept; you have two Cute Little Guys, each with a single hand, one of which is controlled with WASD and the other with the arrow keys. Using these keys, the player can stretch their hands up to a certain length, divided in squares, to complete a very basic and very important goal which I’m sure you didn’t expect; to shake hands. Yup, that’s the entirety of the game. Technically, Handshakes falls into the ‘sokoban’ genre of video games, which basically consists of games that involve pushing boxes and whatnot to reach an objective. Genuinely didn’t know that kind of game had a name, but here we are. Anyway, across Handshakes’ several dozen levels you’ll be doing what these guys do best - shaking hands! Whilst at first it seems simple, once the game gets done teaching you the basic tenets of what you should be doing, Handshakes will quickly throw brand new mechanics and strange, yet fascinating interactions between various puzzle elements for you to contend with. Whilst these at first don’t seem to complicated - I mean, it’s mostly boxes, doors, and buttons, but honestly, Handshakes throws some pretty surprising curveballs at the player in regards to how you’ll be interacting with them.

Handshakes balances on the tightrope many other puzzle games topple down from; whilst you’ll be working through a puzzle, you’ll find yourself stumped at the solution, simply feeling like you’ll never understand how you’re meant to approach it. But then you’ll just be messing around, trying to get a feel for what the puzzle is asking, and boom! Just like that, you’ll discover a new interaction, or even just stumble upon a new set of moves you hadn’t thought through. It’s that delightful sense of experimentation and achievement that Handshakes provides in spades - if this game was any longer, I’d provide an example or two, but considering the short length, I feel it’s better for y’all to discover that on your own.

Rarely, I found a puzzle that seemed almost too difficult to surmount, usually involving switches and gates that have to be hit in a certain order or cadence, and found those more frustrating than they really should’ve been, but these were by far the exception and not the rule for when it comes to Handshakes puzzle design.

This delightful gameplay loop is framed in an incredibly simple, but immensely adorable art direction, most of which is contained in the two adorable Guys. Seriously, the sight of realizing that I wasn’t controlling the Guys at all, but their ever-extending, noodle-like arms I genuinely burst out into a fit of laughter. Whilst there isn’t a lot of variety in this art direction - you’ll mostly be seeing the same set of Guys and tiles and whatnot, but it’s not too big a deal when the general art direction is as adorable as this, and that goes double for the fact the game is as short as it is.

Whilst I admit the game doesn’t have too much content, making up just over two dozen stages, you have to keep in mind that this game is free and pretty much just an extended demo for the upcoming sequel Handshakes: Hands on. You can probably blow through his games content, depending on your skill at these kinds of games, in just under an hour, but there’s a good number of wackier achievements to unlock, if that’s the kind of thing that tickles your fancy, and a Speedrun mode to test how quickly you can solve Handshakes myriad of handshaking-based brainteasers. Honestly, as a demo, Handshakes has done its job. In the matter of an hour I went from having never even heard or conceived of this game, to deciding on the spot that it’s sequel/full release is a day one buy, no matter what. It’s simply that charming in both gameplay and visual design, how could I not?

Handshakes is embelic of the hidden gems that make up Steam’s gigantic library. Whilst it isn't overflowing with content, it executes a simple concept flawlessly, boasting an adorably endearing art direction and general game flow to boot. My time with it might’ve been short, but that doesn’t change the fact that Handshakes is worth a play without a second thought, and that’s before I reiterate that this charming little title is free! I hope you enjoyed this shorter form review, as I think I’ll be doing a bunch of these in the future as I tackle my Steam backlog, which includes a lot of these simpler, shorter-form titles. So, uh, look forward to them, and thank you again for reading my review of Handshakes!

Handshakes is available via Steam and Itch.io, with the upcoming follow-up Handshakes: Hands On available to wishlist. Check it out!