Yosumin Live was decent on Xbox Live Arcade, but it lacked a progression to work through. You could go for a high score, but that's about it. This PC version includes a fleshed out single-player progression -- but ditches the multiplayer mode. If we could somehow combine the XBLA and PC versions we'd have a great little puzzle game, but as it is Yosumin feels a little incomplete on both platforms.

Sure, you can throw Yosumin on the ever-growing pile of color-matching exercises out there. But it is its own game and, like other standouts in the genre, takes a familiar formula and twists it just enough to create a new and compelling experience. Like Crystal Defenders on WiiWare and XBLA, this started out as a portable game, although it was only released on the Nintendo DS in Japan.

Yosumin is a very Japanese game, from the hyper happy voices that cheer you on to the spritely tunes that could have been ripped from the 16-bit glory days. The Yosumin game pieces have been caricatured into cute little faces that inhabit the game board. You won't be blown away by the visuals but the presentation is clean and simple.

It's hip to be square.
Gameplay is an exercise in pattern recognition. Players must create rectangular shapes on the screen by connecting four corners of same-colored pieces. The bigger the box you make, the more points you are awarded. If you manage to make one giant square over the entire screen you'll create a "Yosumin." Over time new game mechanics are introduced such as winged blocks that can be swapped with another piece on the field. Finding possible shapes in all the clutter can be difficult, and time is ticking. If you don't meet your quota before time runs out, it's game over.

The PC version presents a story mode where players must locate the many shards of a shattered stained glass window. This is a very welcome addition, but it's sad to see the fun multiplayer mode axed. Daemon Hatfield