This is common in many games, but the fixed, dollhouse-like perspective should ideally give the developers nearly complete control over what players can see, so it’s disappointing that this problem can be encountered so easily. Walking toward the background can sometimes cause the camera to clip into objects as it follows the player character. All of this is backed up by a fittingly low-key score that contributes significantly to the game’s whimsical feel.Īs great as the visuals are, they do suffer from some notable problems. The final area concludes the game wonderfully with a captivating setting that has rarely, if ever, been explored in a game before. Various environmental clues cleverly hint at a story that players can slowly piece together as the adventure progresses, which helps the visuals feel like more than just eye candy. These changes in tone indicated by the environment are expertly paced to grab the player’s attention and make the adventure feel that much more cohesive. Starting in a large house, the game slowly builds tension as the player descends into the city’s underground before relieving that tension as the player treks across rooftops amid a gorgeous sunset. The designs of the backgrounds are effective at taking the player through an emotional journey. In general, the gameplay strikes a perfect balance between being just complex enough to provide engagement and being simple enough to allow for a relaxing, meditative experience.īeing an artistic title, A Tale of Paper mostly excels in its aesthetics. These background touches are a brilliant way to help players without being condescending toward them. Noteworthy examples include the stretch of birdhouses hinting the player to use the bird form’s double jump ability and the billboard advertisement communicating the enemy Roomba’s immunity to water. The visual language is one of the level design’s best aspects the levels are filled to the brim with subtle environmental cues that subconsciously guide the player toward progress. Puzzles require careful observation of the environment to figure out, but not to the point where players may get stuck for long stretches of time. Sections that involve jumping on rusty pipes and broken stairways do an impressive job of challenging players while still immersing them in the game world.
Although the environment is very grounded, it is nonetheless densely-packed with platforming sections and puzzle segments that all adhere to that grounded aesthetic.
Helping the gameplay even more is the overall environment and level design, which is generally strong.
They really help the gameplay feel less like a formality and more like a vital part of the experience. These are the kind of gameplay nuances that I didn’t expect to see in a more aesthetically-driven game like this one. Even the crumpled ball form, which is normally very situational, can be creatively exploited to extend jumps.
The frog transformation is particularly effective at this its high jump ability is already useful on its own, but players can switch back to humanoid form as they jump up in frog form for an extra boost in height. Every transformation ability expands the player’s movement options and makes simple environmental traversal fun and engaging. It’s a simple yet effective setup that allows for the kind of satisfying player and mechanical growth seen in many games. He slowly gains access to a number of origami transformations that help him traverse the environment and solve puzzles. The core premise sees the player control a small paper boy in a linear 3-D environment.
0 kommentar(er)
