For this critical play, I played the game Gorogoa. It was developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. I played Gorogoa on iOS, where the touch interface made the interaction with the panels more intuitive and tactile, enhancing the feeling of manipulating physical objects or sliding panels, which added to the immersive experience. Gorogoa is designed for a diverse audience, especially puzzle enthusiasts, art lovers who appreciate detailed and unique visual styles, and players interested in narrative-driven games.
The puzzle mechanics of Gorogoa significantly shape the player’s experience by creating a seamless blend of visual storytelling and intellectual challenge. The game’s use of 4 shifting panels and interconnected illustrations encourages players to think creatively and engage deeply with the narrative, fostering a sense of discovery as they uncover the story.
Gorogoa is a single-player game where players manipulate panels to create new scenes and interactions. As shown in Figure 1, The objective is to solve puzzles to progress the narrative, with rules allowing panels to be moved, resized, and combined. The game is set within a 2×2 grid, and the outcome is story progression and game completion. These formal elements create an intimate, focused experience, encouraging exploration within a beautifully crafted visual and narrative framework.
Figure 1 – 2×2 grid panel
The puzzle mechanics are a testament to the synergy between MDA. The mechanics of Gorogoa involve moving, resizing, and combining panels to create new scenes and interactions. For example, when I played the game I found a panel (Figure 2) with a ladder that, when aligned with another panel, allows the character to climb up connected panels, representing different pieces of the story, and continue their journey. This mechanic encourages me to think spatially and experiment with different combinations.
Figure 2 – a ladder that connected panels
And it created interactions with me as I explored possible connections. For instance, I encountered a panel showing a fruit on a tree and another panel depicting a bowl. By aligning these panels correctly, the fruit appears to fall into the bowl, revealing the next step in the puzzle and advancing the story (Figure 3/4). This dynamic interaction mirrors the assembly of fragmented memories or dreams, reflecting the character’s journey.
Figure 3/4 – Slide panel correctly to enable interaction
The resulting fun I have is mostly exploration, discovery, and narrative, enhanced by the game’s beautiful art and unfolding narrative. The visual and narrative elements work together to create a cohesive and immersive experience. For example, the hand-drawn illustrations and seamless animations between panels contribute to a sense of wonder and immersion, drawing me deeper into the story as they solve each puzzle.
Gorogoa employs an embedded narrative approach, where the story is intricately woven into the puzzle mechanics, and the story is revealed through gameplay rather than traditional cutscenes. Each panel represents a fragment of the non-linear narrative, and the player must piece these fragments together to reveal the full story. Arcs is made The overarching story unfolds gradually as I progress through the puzzles, creating a sense of continuity and development. The game’s structure mirrors the character’s journey, with each solved puzzle bringing me closer to understanding the complete narrative. I need to repeatedly revisit panels to uncover new layers of meaning and connections with information about the player’s aging and discovering journey, and in the end, the whole story of how the main character grew on their way to find Gorogoa is revealed once again, as shown in Figures 5-11 below, that I need to resolve some of the previously puzzles to reveal the story, with narrative loops.
Figures 5-11 – Narrative arcs and loops, the story of how the character grows and their journey.
In my opinion, Gorogoa stands out in the puzzle game genre for its seamless integration of narrative and unique sliding-panel gameplay. Many puzzle games focus solely on mechanics, but Gorogoa uses puzzles as a storytelling tool even without a need for any text in the game. This trend towards narrative-driven puzzles is becoming more common, with games like The Witness and Monument Valley also blending story and gameplay in innovative ways.
The creator and designers of Gorogoa, likely aimed to achieve unique emotional sensations by intertwining puzzles with narrative, the game designers sought to create a storytelling medium that engages players intellectually and emotionally. The hand-drawn illustrations reflect a high level of artistic care, aiming to create a visually stunning experience that stands out in the gaming landscape.
Figure 12 – storing telling within stunning hand-drawn visuals
The narrative is crafted to evoke emotions and provoke thought, encouraging players to reflect on the story and their interpretations. If the game designers were ever going to update the gameplay, future puzzle games will likely continue to integrate narrative elements more deeply, following Gorogoa’s example. As technology advances, we might see more tactile and immersive interfaces, enhancing the player’s connection to the game world. However, when I play the game, I sometimes feel lost when there are too many things happening in one panel, and I am exploring in the wrong direction. If I were the game designer, to reduce potential frustration, an optional hints system could help not-so-advanced players who are stuck without diminishing the challenge for those who prefer to solve puzzles independently. Also, I think the game itself is shorter than the puzzle-solving normal games which I finished within 2 hours and longing for more. Additional story layers instead of just collecting elements or optional side puzzles could provide more depth for players who wish to explore the narrative further in DLC.
Gorogoa’s puzzle mechanics intricately weave together visual storytelling and intellectual challenge, creating a unique and engaging experience. By balancing simplicity and complexity, Gorogoa ensures that players of varying skill levels can enjoy and complete the game, making it a compelling experience for a wide audience.
