Stitch is an embroidery puzzle game that came to the Nintendo Switch as part of yesterday’s Indie World presentation. It’s just the right amount of challenging and chill, which is precisely what I need this week.
In Stitch, previously available on Apple Arcade, you solve spatial puzzles by filling out embroidery patterns on a Hoop, those round wooden frames you see ladies sewing on in Jane Austen movies. A picture on the Hoop is divided into sections, and each section is divided into a grid. You have to fill in the designated number of squares on the grid in the correct configuration to complete the section correctly and solve the Hoop.
It’s a little confusing to explain, but it makes sense once you’re doing it. And while the early-game Hoops I’ve filled out haven’t been too tricky, I’ve found my best tactic when I’m stuck is to just sort of stare at the grid until the answer reveals itself, rather than wracking my brain in the traditional style of puzzle games.
It’s easy to undo your mistakes and try again, though I’ve occasionally been deep into an area before realizing I’d gone wrong. Luckily, filling out a Hoop comes alongside beautifully-rendered thread and a gentle soundtrack–backtracking just means getting to experience more of that, so it’s not a great burden or frustrating. Instead, the game is compellingly chill, with what I imagine are similar vibes to a coloring book, while still requiring enough thinking to be engaging. You can use your Joy-Cons or touch controls; I’ve been using touch, and it’s lovely to drag my finger over an area and watch different colored thread unspool, or scrub back and watch my work undo.
The game currently has over 100 Hoops, alongside a levelling up system that unlocks new features like weekly challenges. You can also unlock the ability to fill in a Hoop without following the designated colors, which I imagine more accurately mimics actual embroidery, something I have zero aptitude for despite years of being in the DIY punk scene where I’ve done unspeakable things to my clothes with a sewing needle and dental floss. Paid DLC adds more Hoops too, but I think the currently-available ones will last me a while.
As I wrote earlier this week, I’ve been real stressed out with moving lately, and last night I booted up Stitch, turned some Simspons re-runs on in the background, and lost myself for a few hours solving little number puzzles and then shouting “Hey, a bear!” Stitch is definitely the right game at the right time for me, and totally worth checking out if you’re looking for a bit of chill too.
