My wife and I played the first one together on iPad, and we were happy to play the second (eventually). It’s a very appealing game, with a nice hand-drawn visual style, a decidedly odd story, and a Professor Layton-esque structure. Being fans of the puzzle prof, we liked the chance the iPad gave us to play it together. Although it’s obviously inspired by the successful DS series (which the designers Sean and Jake have admitted on Idle Thumbs, if I recall correctly), it doesn’t quite live up to it.
For one, it’s quite short. The two games together would be closer to a Layton game in length, I think, although I suppose that fits with Telltale’s episodic MO; and I can’t complain for the price. For another, the puzzles are nowhere near as varied or testing, either being a little too obtuse or just reusing simple concepts often.
The strength of it is in the presentation though. Graham Annable’s style stands out, even when some textures or lines appear coarse; arguably it’s part of the charm. The creepy atmosphere comes across in the plot but also the odd pauses and such. All the characters are memorable and the voices are fun. Just taking in all the oddball stuff makes the game worthwhile.
Although the puzzles aren’t always imaginative, they’re still satisfying to solve, and the way they’re framed is often interesting, especially when something unexpected happens like when the FBI agents stick their guns over your puzzle UI suddenly. They try to make the puzzles story-relevant too, which is more than you can say about Layton half the time.
I just love the little world they’ve created, with the weirdo FBI departments, the tiny Alaskan town of Scoggins with its eraser factory and Nordic cultural gnome-worshipping society, and all the looneys you meet. The bizarreness just cranks up in the last half/third of this second game too, with the teasing coalescing quickly into a pile-up of wacky reveals. In fact it goes a bit off the rails, I’m not sure the pacing is handled well in the transition from unsettling goofiness to full-on conspiracy insanity.
I was quite satisfied in the end though, and it leaves me curious to try some other adventure games. Especially if my wife will join me. I’d recommend this game for the story alone, but it’s a solid puzzle adventure too.
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