The cool trend lately in independent game development for the Wii U and 3DS are retro-inspired puzzle games. We’ve seen it on the Wii U with titles like Blok Drop U and Ping 1.5+, and now we’re seeing it with Hazumi for the 3DS, which has the minimalist feel that numerous puzzle games seem to have lately. It doesn’t manage to completely separate itself from similar games, but does provide a fun portable adventure for on-the-go puzzle solving.

The goal of each stage is to touch color-coded blocks via a bouncing ball. Think of the classic title Breakout, but with more of a strategic element to it. The ball has to match the same color of the blocks, and this can be done by aiming the ball to color-coded panels found in the stage. The initial stages gently let you into the game, acting like a prolonged tutorial. Eventually, the going gets tough, and players who are used to more casual fare might find themselves having a difficult time traversing through each stage. The goal is to collect as many stars as possible, which you obtain depending on how fast you clear a stage. You need to collect these stars to unlock later stages. The game is beefy and can take a good while to complete, thanks in part to the 100 total stages and the challenge.

Hazumi actually looks a lot better graphically than most 3DS indie titles. The retro-inspired graphics are crisp, vibrant, and colorful. The retro music goes very well with the art style, but it’s nothing memorable. This isn’t really a 3DS game you need to plug your headphones in for.

Beyond the single-player mode, there is also a level editor included where you can make your own stages. This is pretty fun for those who want to create their own levels and test them out to see if they’re just as tough as the single-player campaign. One big problem with this, however, is that you can’t share the levels with others, so you can’t play a friend’s created level or vice versa. It’s kind of baffling in this day and age that a mode such as this doesn’t provide any means of sharing created content. Regardless, it’s a fun little addition even if you can’t do anything except create levels and play them on your own system.

Hazumi doesn’t stand out from the pack when it comes to other retro-inspired puzzlers that can be found on 3DS, but it still remains a fun adventure for those who want to take on the challenge it provides. The graphics and sound are enjoyable, and there’s a lot of content to complete. It can become pretty frustrating, and the lack of online level sharing makes the level editing mode a bit of a disappointment. But for those who want to play something casual with a bit of a challenge, Hazumi is a good title that fills in that need nicely.