Hamstermind is a puzzler from Righteous Tree Studio, making it their 4th game, but their first PC game. Hamsters are already adorable, and I always love a good puzzler, so playing the game is right up my alley. It also didn’t hurt that it has an Indiana Jones-type setting with a hamster trying to get through a Pyramid. After the first few hours of gameplay, the progress was just under fifty percent. I thought I was well on my way to completing the adventure quickly, but I was wrong.

A Fun Little Story

As one would expect with a game whose main character is Professor Hamster Jones, the story is simple and sweet. When Hamster Jones gets a package containing the creature Charaon (who is quite polite to the ladies), the creature challenges him. And what better place to have this challenge than a pyramid? So, Jones and his posse (one named Chris Ceratops; guess what kind of dinosaur he is) head to Egypt.

The cutscene in the beginning is all in French, but I appreciate the English subtitles. It does not affect the story or the gameplay in any way, and many indie developers cannot afford localization. You start your journey in the treasure room. This is the top of the pyramid and acts as your hub where you can talk to your friends. Often, after certain room objectives, they will have some important dialogue that advances the story. Charaon will often taunt you as the story progresses, all in an attempt to waver the player’s confidence.

Lots of Puzzles!

Hamstermind has multiple types of puzzles. Getting through the game only requires you to solve the big center puzzle in each room and collect the glowing orbs. As you go deeper into the Pyramid, the puzzles become more complicated. Not only do you go vertically through the Pyramid, but there are also side routes. Each route, labeled with a letter from A to E, has a different number of rooms. Routes B through D circled back to route A. The “E” rooms were what really took me by surprise. To really beat the game, you have to get over 200% completion.

The main puzzles are made up of tiles. These can be rotated and sometimes moved depending on the formation of the rooms. Later in the game, you have to flip some of the rooms as well. It is a lot of furious trigger pressing, and the game does recommend a controller when you boot it up. At the time of writing this review, I have still not reached the end of Route “E,” though I plan to.

Every room also has a scarab puzzle, and these start off very easily and get very difficult as you get closer to completionist status. They involve rotating a box and trying to get a labeled tile into the right spot. The labels are images of snakes, insects, and other critters. Scarabs unlock skins and hints for the translation puzzle. There are 5 different skins to unlock, from a spaceman to a cool Easter egg and a nod to One Piece with their version of a pirate.

Yes, More Puzzles!

The translation puzzles look like vending machines. When you use them, you will see a grid with symbols, blank spots, and weights. Don’t worry, the game will eventually teach you what everything means as long as you do the scarab puzzles. The translation puzzles involve putting symbols in the correct blank spots.

Some rooms also have a puzzle involving unlocking the entrance to other routes. In these puzzles, you must direct a bug to hit all the buttons on a web. Players must use the change of direction buttons to ensure the bug touches them all. Once you complete that, the passageway will stay open permanently.

Cute and Challenging

Hamstermind was a lot more fun than I expected. With it being their first PC game, Righteous Tree did not disappoint. Going around and trying to beat all the puzzles has been quite frustrating and fun at the same time. Your brain really has to work on some of the puzzles.

Can you help Professor Hamster Jones achieve archaeological glory?

Pick up Hamstermind on Steam. The game is currently 25% off with its introductory sale.