Chocolate makes you happy: New Year, developed and published by Blender Games, is a festive physics-based puzzle game that leans into cheerful holiday aesthetics while delivering a compact but thoughtfully constructed series of challenges. As part of the broader “Chocolate makes you happy” line of casual puzzle titles, this New Year edition adopts a winter celebration theme, blending confectionery visuals with snow-covered decorations, ornaments, and seasonal charm. The result is a lighthearted experience that prioritizes accessibility, visual warmth, and steady puzzle progression over complexity or narrative ambition.

At its mechanical core, the game revolves around maintaining balance and stability within physics-driven environments. Players are tasked with ensuring that cookies remain safely positioned on chocolate bars for a set duration of time while interacting with various environmental tools. These tools include jump pads, accelerators, teleports, gravity-altering devices, moving platforms, and other dynamic elements that influence motion and momentum. The early levels act as a gradual introduction to these mechanics, encouraging experimentation and helping players develop an intuitive understanding of how objects respond to force and friction within the game’s physics system.

As progression unfolds across dozens of levels, the puzzles become increasingly intricate. Rather than introducing entirely new systems late in the game, Blender Games builds complexity through layered interactions between existing mechanics. A level might require players to anticipate how reverse gravity interacts with moving treadmills, or how a well-placed jumper can counteract acceleration forces. These layered challenges reward patience and observation, often requiring several attempts before discovering the correct configuration. The trial-and-error nature of the gameplay is central to its design philosophy, offering small but satisfying “eureka” moments when a seemingly chaotic setup finally stabilizes.

Visually, the game’s New Year theme plays an important role in its identity. Snowflakes drift through the background, holiday decorations frame the stages, and the chocolate-and-cookie motif adds a whimsical sweetness to the otherwise mechanical challenge. The art direction is colorful and bright without being overwhelming, maintaining clarity so players can easily distinguish interactive components from decorative elements. The festive atmosphere enhances the overall tone, making the experience feel celebratory and relaxed rather than intense or competitive.

The sound design complements this mood with light, unobtrusive audio cues and upbeat background music. Rather than pushing players into high-pressure scenarios, the game cultivates a calm puzzle-solving rhythm. This design choice makes it particularly suitable for short, casual play sessions, especially during the holiday season when players may be looking for something undemanding yet mentally engaging. The pacing avoids spikes of frustration by keeping most challenges manageable within a reasonable number of attempts, though some later stages may test patience due to their reliance on precise timing.

In terms of depth, Chocolate makes you happy: New Year remains intentionally modest. It does not attempt to compete with large-scale physics puzzlers that offer sandbox experimentation or extensive replayability. Instead, it provides a curated sequence of levels that steadily escalate in complexity before reaching a natural conclusion. For players seeking deep strategic layers or long-term progression systems, the experience may feel limited. However, within its scope, it succeeds in delivering a coherent and enjoyable puzzle arc that respects the player’s time.

Ultimately, Chocolate makes you happy: New Year stands as a charming seasonal diversion that blends simple physics mechanics with festive presentation. Its strength lies in clarity of purpose: approachable puzzles, cheerful visuals, and steady progression without unnecessary complication. While it may not redefine the genre or offer extensive replay value beyond its campaign, it delivers a pleasant, well-structured experience that captures the lighthearted spirit implied by its title. For fans of casual indie puzzle games who appreciate holiday-themed aesthetics and manageable physics challenges, it offers a satisfying and sweetly themed way to spend a few relaxing hours.

Rating: 6/10