The masterful, clever design of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is evident from the start

Like most games, Arranger: A role-playing game full of adventure starts with a title screen — but developer Furniture & Mattress has given the introductory screen a bit of a twist. The title screen appears when you click “Start Game,” but it’s not the name of the game. At first glance, it’s not a word at all: GER ARRAN. Once you start hitting buttons—like flicking your analog stick to the left—it all becomes clear. This is the title screen, but it’s also a tutorial on how to play the game. Flick your joystick to the left four times and you’ll see it: Arranger. A new path opens up and the game has begun.

Arranger: A role-playing game full of adventure is, as the name suggests, both a role-playing game and a puzzle game; it will be released on Thursday Nintendo Switch, mobile via Netflix, PlayStation5And Windows PC. In this game, you take on the role of Jemma, a magical misfit who goes on a journey beyond the small town where she grew up. But the whole world is one big shuffle puzzle, and Jemma travels by moving tiles across the labyrinth grid. At the edge of the board, Jemma can move to the other side of any row or column, provided nothing is in her way. It may sound complicated, but the core of the game is quite easy to understand, if you give it a chance to try it out. Therefore ArrangerThe title screen is so clever: it tells you everything you need to know before you enter the world.

From that point on at the beginning, Jemma is subjected to a kind of simple tutorial where you can test the possibilities of the world. For example, if something blocks your path, you can make a loop to the other side of the grid. Imagine this: three tiles are in a horizontal line. Jemma is on the rightmost tile and an immobile tree stump is in the middle. To get to the left side of the stump, move the analog stick to the right once, which will loop Jemma to the left side of the stump. This mechanic works both horizontally and vertically.

The rules of motion never change ArrangerBut Furniture & Mattress repeats the idea throughout the game. Early on, it adds a sword to the mix — the puzzle is figuring out how to get the sword to the static monster you’re fighting. The first boss fight pushes the idea back up: the large sword is “attached” to the monster, so they move together. How do you move the tiles on the board to wrap the creature around itself? It makes the game feel challenging but not frustrating, because the logic is so consistent. There’s humor in there, too: sometimes you have to move characters or other items around, but other times it’s just a product of chaotic movement.

Moving tiles isn’t just something you do in-game – you see the impact it has on the NPCs around you. One neighbor fixes something with a ladder; when I tried to reach something else, I pushed the ladder too far and my neighbors wobbled to the ground. In another instance, I knocked over a paint bucket and ended up walking around with paint for a while. Oops! Elsewhere, I’m lugging potted plants around the world and accidentally rearranging the street signs that are supposed to guide me through town. It makes for those genuinely satisfying aha moments that come from experimenting with how tiles move, even when things get messy. There’s a sudden jolt of relief, joy, and pride when something clicks amidst the chaos.

Unlike a traditional role-playing game, Jemma doesn’t have to upgrade anything, collect armor, or sheathe any swords. Everything she (and, by proxy, you) needs is on the map, ready to be put into place. What you’re really collecting is knowledge about how movement works and how to use it to get around obstacles or reach a new location. Each new area introduces a different iteration of the game’s core idea, forcing you to think about the problems of movement. It also fits with Jemma’s story—one of self-discovery—in a way that makes the puzzles feel even more natural.

Compiled and combined with a well written, sincere story, Arranger is a puzzle game that you should not miss. You will notice that as soon as you click start.

Arranger: A role-playing game full of adventure will be released on July 25 on Nintendo Switch, mobile via Netflix, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on a Steam Deck using a download code provided by Furniture & Mattress. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You may additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.