Gorogoa is a stunningly beautiful puzzle game that communicates entirely through pictures. The primary mechanic present in the game is the picking up and moving of comic strips around a 2×2 grid in order to collect five pieces of fruit. The complete reliance on pictures to tell the story of this game does an amazing job of creating space for players to reflect and fully digest the visuals. The puzzles in the game additionally contribute to the attention to visuals as each card is a clue or piece to a future puzzle and must be paid attention to. Tiles also move differently depending on their intended use for puzzles and this lends itself to excitement in the form of discovery as the tiles hold unique information as well as intractability.
While discovery is certainly one key aspect of this game, narrative also does a lot of the work in creating engagement. At the beginning of the game a dragon of some kind is introduced and players continue completing puzzles and moving through the world in search of the answers to questions such as what this world is, what the dragon is, and who the people in these cards might be.
My experience playing this game was meditative and breathtaking. The breadcrumb technique implemented in this game is so elegant and subtle. Because the tiles are so layered and at times organizationally complex, there are key indicators used in the game to link different elements in the tiles to one another. One particular example was a puzzle that required the interlocking of tiles (which happens many times throughout the game)
but the use of a bell between the frames was indicative of the interconnectedness of the three tiles. I found this to be helpful through my confusion with the puzzle and subtle enough to make me feel rewarded in solving the puzzle.
I think this game does an incredible job of achieving its narrative and discovery goals (sensory fun is had as well through the stunning visuals). Using only visuals is a bold choice as it leaves a lot up to the viewer to discern, but in the context of this game and the silence it invites this makes a lot of sense. It’s hard for me to think of things to change about this game, because even in my confusion in the beginning I felt like I was guided toward solving the puzzles and uncovering the narrative. The puzzles beautifully intertwine with the narrative as they require players to dig deep into the images and think about what is happening. Some kind of introduction scene in the beginning to orient players to the world may have been nice, but I came to appreciate the disorientation and the plethora of awe inspiring realizations that happen throughout this game. If you haven’t played Gorogoa you absolutely should. Even down to the sound that the tiles make when you move them makes you feel like you’re living inside of a comic strip. Absolutely stunning work–a must play for sure.
