Favorite Games: Tents and Trees
Lately, I've been playing an old favorite on my tablet, Tents and Trees (iOS, Android) by Frozax Games. Tents and Trees is a logic game that never gets old for me. In fact, I'm kind of afraid to look at how many hours I've spent playing it.
It has pleasing graphics, a deceptively simple premise, and plenty of customization to dial in the challenge and aesthetic you want. (Tents and trees...or rockets and landers? For me, it's all about the dark mode with cozy, warmly lit tents.)
You must place a tent next to each tree, but tents cannot be next to each other. The numbers tell how many tents go in that row or column.
There are small puzzles that you can complete very quickly, but I prefer to open a big puzzle (the 17x17 grids and up are my favorite), relax in my favorite armchair, and work it leisurely.
Despite my alarming amount of playtime, sometimes I still find that I can come up with new little ways of thinking about a particular layout to find (or rule out) a tent space. When I started playing the game, I was determined never to guess -- and sure enough, I've always found some way of figuring out the solution by logic, even if it takes me a little while to find my breakthrough move.
It's a calming, satisfying game that I like to reach for when I'm stressed -- when life is chaotic, there's order in the grid of tents and trees.
Top image from: Press kit