Paper Trail Review (Hairy Mary)
Our heroine is 18 yr old Paige who lives with her parents in a remote village. She has a brilliant mind and wants to be a astrophysicist, but that requires going to university. Her overprotective parents won't let her go, so she runs away to fulfil her dreams. As Paige journeys on her way, the reason for her parents fears are revealed.
Paige travels through caves, swamp, forest, ruins, Temple, Ocean and finally reaches the city. Along the way, she meets people on each level including an archaeologist, a lost man and some rebellious kids. The dialogues are short but entertaining. So there are 7 levels plus a prologue and an epilogue. Be sure to continue to watch the credits.
The graphics are simple and bright but delightful. This is a top down puzzle game which requires you to make a path for Paige. Each scene is double sided and the RM flips the page. So you have to fold over the page to use the backing as a path. To my surprise, I found this very difficult and a friend of my vintage was the same. It was like a part of my brain had to be woken up! I initially used a walk through to get me moving, but eventually I had my light bulb moment - and was able to continue on my own.
This game is a very clever concept and was executed well. It is very fiddly and requires patience to play, but oh, it is so rewarding when you finally work something out!! The folding of the page even has the rustling sound of the paper. You also have to find origami collectables in each level....usually 3 to 5 of them. You use boulders or statues to sit on pressure pads, there are portals to skip difficult bits, laser lights to light lighthouses which trigger platforms. I found it fun and quite innovative. Some people found the game play boring and repetitive but you still need your wits about you.
The sound design was good and a bit spooky at times but wasn't too loud or overbearing. This is a cute and charming game which is non violent. It is exclusively a mouse based game, so no WASD required for those less dexterous of us. There are no timed events but there are coloured puzzles towards the end. There is a hint system, but you will lose an achievement if you use it.
Depending on your puzzling ability, it is medium difficulty level....nothing like Chants of Sennar which I flunked! You can do a speed run under 4 hours, unless you get a brain fade like me!! Buy on sale if you're an Einstein!!
I do applaud the devs for such a creative and unique game. It is very charming and reminds you of the importance of family but also to be brave enough to follow your dreams. Highly recommend - 8/10