Stretchmo is a refreshing new entry in the Pushmo series, as this free-to-start 3DS eShop game adds a bevy of new concepts and ideas that all add up to make the most engaging game in the franchise. Whether you’re guiding an enemy to do your bidding, stretching out blocks, or completing a puzzle that features the angry sun from Super Mario Bros. 3, Stretchmo is a ton of fun and filled with more puzzle variety than past titles in the series. Even better, thanks to the pay-for-what-you-want structure, you can customize your experience to be focused on whatever you want, even concentrating on harder puzzles solely focused on new concepts if you so desire.

After a brief suite of free levels, Stretchmo’s experience is split up into four packs that you can buy separately or in a price-reduced bundle. The first pack, entitled Playtime Plaza features 100 relatively routine Pushmo challenges. This pack harbors the tutorials that, like in the other games in the series, feel a little too long. However, these tutorials are a little more important because they introduce the new stretching mechanic. In addition to moving the blocks forward and backward, you can also “stretch” the blocks out to the left or the right. Because of that addition, a lot of the puzzles appear to have more solutions and require you to think more third-dimensionally than you had to in the past.

The second pack, called Sculpture Square, builds on that challenge with a series of 50 puzzles that feature the same mechanics but in more distinct sculpture forms. The fourth pack is NES Expo, which puts you in control of the almighty Papa Blox. Each puzzle in that one is based off of a classic NES sprite. Both packs get challenging quickly, and if you’re a Pushmo pro, this might be where you should start if you don’t want to be bogged down by tutorials and simpler puzzles.

The most interesting new concepts are on display in Fortress of Fun, though, which adds enemies to the puzzles. In each puzzle, you often need to manipulate enemies so you can reach the goal. These puzzles also remove the ability to rewind time, making it a wholly unique and different experience from the other three packs.

In addition to all four packs (and the worthwhile bonuses you get for beating all of them), you can also create your own puzzles. You unlock the ability to use more tools – for both design and aesthetic purposes – as you progress through the packs. I’m not a big Pushmo puzzle creator, but the toolset on display in the studio here is impressive, giving you access to pretty much all of the tools the developers use in the main experience.

The free-to-start setup for Stretchmo plays to the game’s strengths. If you’re new to the series or want a refresher, you can play the first pack to learn and refine your skills. If you want to cut straight to the challenging puzzles, you can just get the other packs. If you wind up getting all four, you will get introduced to the same concepts each time when you start a new pack. It’s a tiny bit annoying, but ends within a few puzzles.

The new mechanics breathe new life into the Pushmo series, making Stretchmo the most varied and interesting entry in the young series. While part of me still prefers the focused, no-nonsense challenge of Crashmo, Stretchmo is fantastic, arguably the strongest Pushmo game yet.