Normally I’m more interested in games for their gameplay than any other reason. Although I’m powerfully attracted to some art and thus Gorogoa eventually became irresistible. I was worried it would be too light on puzzles but while it is on the simpler side it has enough thoughtful design around pattern recognition and lateral thinking to keep my mind working throughout.
It’s a beautifully drawn and conceived game with the unique (to me at least) approach of re-arranging graphics to connect in new ways and aid the main character in moving between different scenes and advancing the story. I have to admit the story was a little lost on me. There is no text or dialogue. Enough is conveyed purely through what is seen and the mood, to get what is going on, but I felt I hadn’t grasped all the details. It’s not terribly important to me. There’s a monster and items to collect and finding the solutions is very satisfying.
Most of the puzzles involve zooming in and out of images to reveal new areas, whilst also removing layers from images and shifting them around the screen to reconnect them in inventive ways. It could be described as surreal but it also feels intuitive. There’s a natural flow to much of it. Some of the more ingenious moving puzzles gave me a big smile.
Expect to finish Gorogoa in under three hours, potentially a lot quicker. Once I’d got to the end I was surprised to see a few achievements still locked, which implies some secrets to hunt for. This is an easy recommendation, which deservedly has overwhelmingly positive reviews. And is currently on sale at GOG.
Available from Steam, GOG, Epic, console and mobile stores.
mishmash 