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This review is for the actual game, not the game code purchased through Amazon. I just finished playing Puzzle Agent (it took around two hours to play through) and while the game was interesting, I felt it had fewer pros than cons. Pros: +I like the concept of a game based solely around puzzles.
With the success of its numerous episodic point-and-and click adventure games, Telltale has painted itself into a box. Although the games are nearly always enjoyable, they're also predictable.
So the studio can be forgiven for wanting to change up the formula a bit. And while Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent might not be the most imaginative title in terms of how it plays, it at least provides a wonderful sense of style and atmosphere.
Essentially, Puzzle Agent is built upon the Professor Layton formula. You play as an FBI agent named Nelson Tethers who works for the Bureau's little known puzzle division and is sent to a small town in Minnesota called Scoggins to investigate some mysterious happenings. And when I say 'investigate,' I mean 'solve puzzles.'
Title | Puzzle Agent |
---|---|
Developer | Telltale Games |
Publisher | Telltale Games |
Price | $9.95 |
Platform | PC |
The entire game is based around solving brainteasers. Every character you come across will have puzzles for you to solve—some optional, some mandatory—that will have you doing everything from unscrambling coded messages to reassembling broken gears. The game even borrows the hint system from the Professor Layton games, giving players three levels of clues for each puzzle. The number of clues available to you are finite, but you can collect additional hints hidden throughout the snowy town.
![Puzzle Puzzle](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126255827/327010092.jpg)
The puzzles range quite a bit in difficulty, but there's no time limit of any sort, so you're free to solve them at your own pace.
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Puzzle Agent also follows in Layton's footsteps by wrapping its collection of puzzles in an engaging mystery set in a town full of interesting characters. From an overly cheerful hotel clerk to a handyman who hears trees talk, interacting with the inhabitants of Scoggins is never a chore. The dialog is well written and acted, and it's laced with plenty of Telltale's trademark humor.
But it also gets dark at times. In spite of all the jokes and goofy plot points, it's hard to shake the feeling of dread as you play. Something is happening in Scoggins, something the townspeople don't want you to know about. And while things never get too serious, the mystery is an incredible motivating factor, making Puzzle Agent a game that's hard to put down. And since it only lasts a few hours, chances are that many players will get through the entire experience in just one or two sittings.
Where the game does differentiate itself is with its dark, 2D, hand-drawn comic book visuals courtesy of artist Graham Annable. The blacks and grays make Scoggins feel like a truly frigid, isolated town where bad things could very well happen. And though the characters are all relatively simple looking, they're still unique and charming. The stylized art might not be for everyone, but at the very least it gives the game its own look and feel.
Puzzle Agent might not win any points for originality with the way it liberally borrows from an already successful formula, but it works. Every aspect of the game is solid, and Telltale has added its own special spice to the experience.
It's dark, it's mysterious, and it's funny. And if you like puzzles wrapped in mysteries, it's a game you should definitely play.
Verdict: Buy
In Puzzle Agent 2, you play as special agent Nelson Tethers of the F.B.I.’s Puzzle Research Division. Essentially, the Puzzle Research Division is like the X-files for crossword junkies. After wrapping up the Eraser Factory Case which took place during the events of the first Puzzle Agent game, Agent Tethers is ready for a nice long vacation except there’s one loose end that’s troubling him: the whereabouts of former factory foreman Issac Danvers. Has closed the case, but Agent Tethers can’t seem to let it go.
Determined to tie up the loose ends and mark the case as solved, Agent Tethers returns to the sleepy, snow-covered town of Scoggins, MN. Will he be able to find Issac Danvers and the rest of the missing Scoggins townsfolk, or does the evil Brotherhood, a gnome worshiping cult, have other plans for the ambitious agent? It is your mission to unlock the secrets of Scoggins and find the missing residents, solving puzzles all the while.Puzzle Agent 2’s gameplay is best described as a hybrid, mixing adventure-style dialog and exploration and puzzle solving with little bit of hidden object-style investigation. This mix really helps drive the player to explore the town of Scoggins and uncover as many secrets as they can wrap their puzzle-solving brain around.
The art style and story are inspired by the work of cartoonist/storyboard artist Graham Annabell and both are very refreshing. I’m a big fan of hand drawn art in games and this one has it in spades. The animation leaves a bit to be desired, but being a smaller title I will say that it’s entirely forgivable and doesn’t detract from the game. I might even say that the stop-motion effect gives the game a certain simple charm. The movement may be a little odd, but the facial animations and expressions are a big part of the humor. When you see Agent Tethers running towards the camera wearing nothing but his underwear and an oven mitt with his weird legs flying all over the place, I’m sure you will crack a smile.The music is subtle yet evocative, and does a great job of making the player feel uneasy when things are weird and scared when thing are, well, scary.
Not to say that this is a scary game, but it is a little on the dark side. However, it’s not so dark that puzzle solvers of all ages wouldn’t enjoy it.The puzzles can be a little tricky at times but they weren’t anything I couldn’t handle. The game does feature a hint system based on chewed gum you find stuck to walls or tables around Scoggins. Each piece of gum allows you to ask for help with a puzzle, but you only get three hints. Even if you have 30 pieces of gum, three hints is your maximum per puzzle.
Using hints or submitting an incorrect solution directly effects how you will score on each puzzle. To score top marks you’ll need to solve the puzzle with no hints and submit the correct solution on the first try. If you’re thinking trial and error will get you through this case, you may be right, but your score and rank on each puzzle will suffer dearly.Overall I thought Puzzle Agent 2 had a fun story full of twists, turns, and tasty red herrings. The residents of Scoggins are an eclectic bunch, who normally have interesting anecdotes to tell about the town, or in some cases, seem to be completely off their rocker. If you like solving puzzles with a purpose and unraveling a really weird mystery featuring crazy Sasquatch enthusiasts, deranged cultists, and mysterious magic gnomes, then give Puzzle Agent 2 a try. But I warn you, beware The Hidden People.
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