Devolver Tumble Time is a puzzle game where you connect groups of matching icons. As you play, you unlock new characters and icons from Devolver-published games that offer wacky powerups and abilities to clear the board and complete objectives. It stands out for its irreverent, tongue-in-cheek humour and how the unusual level objectives require you to come up with clever strategies.

Play occurs on a round board filled with icons of characters from popular indie games, such as Carrion, Cult of the Lamb, and Gris. By locating and tapping on groups of three or more of the same icon, you clear them from the board, allowing new icons to filter down. By connecting more at once, you can form different bombs and powerups that can clear out huge areas. You also unlock characters that have special abilities you can use mid-level to help you, such as placing bombs throughout the level or removing all of a specific icon.

Each level has a set of objectives you must clear within the time limit, like removing a certain number of a specific icon, activating a certain number of bombs, or clearing a certain number of items in a given time. These challenges, while simple at first, eventually require careful strategy and consideration to beat, such as what character you want to use, when to activate bombs, and whether to leave certain icons on the board for longer to make bigger groups of them.

The result is a game that's more than just matching icons. Carefully choosing the best character for the level, formulating clever strategies, and learning from your failures make for an engaging and involved yet still entertaining game.