Degrees of Separation

* I played the game solo. This review will cover the game when played solo.
My Playtime: 8.7h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (10 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Degrees of Separation is a puzzle game where you control two people with contrasting worlds: Ember's world is where the sun shines and water flows, while Rime's world is where everything is made of ice and freezes. The game has six main levels with different main mechanics as a focus.
Pros:
- 6 main mechanics
- Easy to figure out the collectible location
- Freedom to finish the puzzles in any order that you want
Cons:
- Game only saves your collectible, not position
- AI tends not to move in the direction that you want
Specs
Steam Deck: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs
Should you buy this game?
If you enjoy puzzle games, buy this game.
In-Depth Review
Visuals
The characters seem to use 3D models despite the side-scroller display. However, since they will mostly be shown from afar, it can be hard to see the details. They are easy to distinguish by the color, though; Ember will be red and Rime will be blue. The environment will also be colored to match this color palette, and despite using the same color, it's still easy to see where the characters are since their color tends to be darker than the environment. However, it can be hard to see the ropes in a dark environment sometimes.
Story
The story will be told as you play, telling you the adventure of our protagonists while slipping some lore as you go through the levels. However, I found that the story tends to be lengthy despite the game being a puzzle game. I had to stop a lot of times just to wait for the dialogue to finish, whether it was from doing puzzles or from accessing the exit.
The game tends to incorporate its story into the levels, telling you the mechanics and tying it to the game's story. I like how soothing the voice dubs are, and if you are into games with story as a focus, this game's story is quite detailed. You need to assume what's happening, but the game gives enough context for you to figure it out.
The Game
Gameplay
Two people, two worlds. Degree of Separation's main concept lies in the fact that our protagonists live in two different worlds. You'll have both of them on the same screen, although they are divided into their worlds—think of it as playing a game in a split-screen, except that the split-screen will affect each other to solve the puzzle. Ember's world has a gust of wind that sends you in a certain direction and allows you to "fall" into a body of water. Rime's world will turn off all winds and freeze all bodies of water, allowing you to walk above it. The range between both worlds depends on their position—despite being in separate worlds, you control them as if they are within the same world, except that the range of their world will change as you move.
The game has six chapters plus one main hub in total. Each chapter, including the main hub, consists of a big world divided into smaller puzzle areas. Each puzzle area usually can be fit into one screen, although there are some cases where you need to bring a certain item from another puzzle area to solve the puzzle. The chapters usually revolve around the newly introduced mechanic that is unique to each chapter. That being said, the main mechanic of the two worlds will still be applied in most chapters.
The puzzles' main goal is to collect scarves, a collectible that can be used to open the door to more chapters. The game is not linear—as long as you have enough scarves, you can explore and finish the world in any order that you want. Navigating through the chapter world to find the puzzles might be tricky, but the game offers a hint that lets you know the rough location of the scarves. It's easy to find the puzzles this way, and you can also fast-travel between these hint structures if you want to. That being said, the fast-travel can still take time, especially if you want to go to an area far from where you are located. Collecting all scarves is also not necessary to beat the game, although it's required to 100% it.
The puzzles themselves are simple. Most of them work on a certain rule that you must figure out first. Once you know about the rule, the other puzzles within the same chapter will be easier to solve. It can take a while to find it, but it was always satisfying whenever you managed to solve it on your own. The puzzles never take that long to finish, and even if you are stuck, there are always a lot of things that you can figure out based on the available techniques that you have. One of them will usually end up as the solution.
Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 8.7h. The game is in the easy-medium range; it can take a bit of brainpower for you to solve the puzzles, although they are never too hard for me. The only exception is in two levels in the first chapter, since they require you to move an object from another puzzle to solve.
Issues
The game only saves your scarf's progress, not your location. If you exit the game midway, you must redo the whole chapter from scratch, although your solved puzzles will still be treated as completed. The AI also tends not to move as I want. There was one level that required me to control both characters at once, and since I played the game solo, I had to rely on the AI. It took me longer than it originally takes to reach what I wanted with that AI. The same goes when you call the AI to come to you. Sometimes the pathfinding works, sometimes it doesn't. As for the latter case, prepare to do the same puzzle twice.
Conclusion
It's hard to find puzzle games that are just right in difficulty for me. Degree of Separation surprisingly nails the difficulty well, allowing me to enjoy the game while still having to think. It was such a nice puzzle game, even if you play it solo. If you enjoy playing puzzle games, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't play this one.

Degrees of Separation is a charming puzzle platformer with a beautiful art style that really stands out. The cooperative gameplay works well, with each player controlling a character with unique abilities that complement each other. Some puzzles are challenging, but the mechanics in each level keep things fresh and interesting. It’s not too difficult to complete all achievements, making it a satisfying experience. Overall, a lovely and enjoyable game. 8/10.

I played this with my bf and it was sm fun! The story is so sweet and really makes you think about your relationship, its such a special game! Some of the puzzles were tricky but it was fun figuring stuff out together :) was a fun 100% to do and I highly recommend this to any couples out there looking for a bonding sesh :D

Loved the game, every level has its own mechanics, and while some are more interesting than others, they all help fill the story and tell the feelings of the characters towards each other. Overall the game has very interesting puzzles but simple mechanics, and tells a beautiful love story with both the bad and good of their own relationship. Played with my girlfriend and had an amazing time. Would rate an 9/10, especially if it is on sale.

DoS is a co-op puzzle platformer that has 5-6 big levels, each level has one exclusive gimmick to solve the puzzles differently. The point of the puzzles is to collect enough scarfs to open a gate to the next level. The castle is the hub area where all the levels can be found. There is a story and the narrator has a beautiful voice but we honestly didn’t care about the fairytale like story, we didn’t pay attention to what was being said. The draw of the game was the gameplay and the gorgeous style. It delivers big time on those aspects. It’s a great co-op game that might frustrate a little because of the timing and positioning required from both players sometimes. The game can be played solo but I didn’t test that. The achievements are good, they’re basically collect all the scarfs and find the 3 secrets in the castle. It took us 9.2 hours to complete the game and get all the achievements.
The first level is actually the game’s biggest flaw. It gives a terrible first impression due to the unclear introduction, gimmick and the puzzles feeling more difficult compared to the later ones. We started fearing the game would annoy us all the time only to end up loving it by the time we completed it. The next flaws are minor: the ‘mini-map’ to check the scarfs you’re missing is neat and I don’t have anything against the way it was done. But it was hard to read how many you were missing sometimes because the ‘mini-map’ was layered on top of the environments. So if an environment was dark, it was hard to see the missing scarfs because they’re portrayed as black stars. Lastly, the fast travel option could have been handled better. You have to go through every point from A to Z, you can’t jump straight to C. It looks cute in terms of animations but it takes more time than it should.
For a while there I wasn’t sure whether to get the game or not. I was imagining the puzzles to be mostly frustrating based on some of the reviews and impressions I’ve read/seen. After completing the game, I’m starting to believe that a lot of the opinions were formed based on the first level. The game deserves more love and it’s the kind that blossoms the more you play it. I got it with a recent steam sale for around €2 and I’m very happy with the experience it brought. It’s highly recommended as a co-op game when on sale.

A fun waste of time, easy to overthink the puzzles. Wife & I would def play a second version.

so fuuun idk why people gave mixed reviews to this game :< I'm quite enjoying the gameplay and the narrator gave us beautiful tales that add depth to the story (^^)/* thank you kind human who gifted me this game :3