Cartesian is a laser based puzzle game by Betashark. You play as a mining robot who is trying to rescue three miners from an alien planet. You are armed with a laser that you use to destroy enemies and to unlock doors by lighting up orbs which are the same color as your laser. Hostile enemies appear and try to shoot you with their own lasers. Switching the color of your laser and using mirrors to reflect your beam are core mechanics of Cartesian.

Cartesian gameplay

Cartesian has a very portal-esque vibe and a casual, light-hearted vibe. Lives are infinite and dying only sends you back to the beginning of the current level. Levels are pretty short so it doesn’t feel like you’ve been set back too badly. Cartesian is well suited to casual or busy players. Cartesian is very friendly to short, interrupted play sessions. Saves are frequent and automatic.

Levels in Cartesian are incredibly well designed. I was amazed with how hard some of them were to solve and at how many different angles and movements were needed to get through. The game is engaging from start to finish, and with a run time of about three hours, it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

Spaceship

Cartesian feels like it has a very solid core, but it could use a little bit more polish. In particular, I think the game needs a hint button, for when players get badly stuck (I was able to ask the developer when I got stuck, but most users probably will not have that privilege). I’d also like to see a control reference added to the menu you get when you pause.

I would love to see this game Greenlit through Steam. Its better than many of the other platform/puzzle games I’ve seen there.