This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format.

Note. This game has, unfortunately, been delisted from the Switch eShop.

Combining a visual aesthetic akin to Limbo with some solid platforming puzzling, Inops is a charming experience that speedrunners will love to blaze through as quickly as possible. Your goal is to collect small black blobs called ‘Inops’ scattered, asleep, throughout the level and use them to solve puzzles and reach the level's end. The twist comes from the ability to combine the creatures with the 'Y' button, to form one mega Inop, which can do things that the herd cannot, such as make higher jumps. It’s stylish and intuitive, though some of the puzzles can occasionally be a tad sloppy.

While the gameplay is incredibly fluid and usually spot-on responsive, the environmental puzzles can be a bit fiddly. Rather than controlling a puzzle immediately upon touching it, you have to use 'L' and 'R' to highlight it, which, while not a huge issue, can be frustrating on some of the later, more intense levels.

However, with that as its main criticism, there isn’t a whole lot not to like about Inops. You’re scored on how many of the creatures you’re able to collect, as well as three stars dotted in each level. However, these stars require clever puzzle-solving and quick reflexes to solve, so they’re far more akin to New Super Mario Bros. than dreadful mobile games. The game also offers a speedrun mode, allowing you to time yourself and storm through each level for a personal best, which can be compared to players around the world via a ranking board.

We loved Inops’ visual style. The gloomy look of the creatures, silhouetted in black against colourful backgrounds, is really quite appealing. The Inops themselves are delightfully endearing, with their cute monster noises and big white eyes. The enemies are also varied and adopt a delightfully adorable version of hell-spawn demons. Musically, the soundtrack is decent, and fits with the mysterious theme of the art style, though it doesn’t leave a huge impact.

Overall, Inops offers great puzzle-platforming action. Its creative style, mixed in with some decent platforming and an intuitive way to solve environmental puzzles makes it a bit of a gem.