Gorogoa
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Point & Click, Story Rich, Atmospheric, Adventure
Play modes: singleplayer
Release Date: 14-12-2017
Developer: Buried Signal
Our verdict
9/10
- Difficulty: Easy
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 2–4 h
Gorogoa is a hand-drawn puzzle game played on a two-by-two grid of illustrated panels. You zoom into, move and stack the panels so that pictures line up and connect, opening paths between scenes and pushing a wordless story forward. It won Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards and suits anyone who likes visual, lateral-thinking puzzles, including people who rarely play games.
Steam reviews are overwhelmingly positive (about 95% of 5,621). Players describe it as art: Escher-like optical tricks, worlds within worlds, and many moments of sudden insight when two images click together. Most say it is not particularly hard, more about noticing than grinding through logic.
The only common complaint is length. Most players finish in two to four hours, and one critic felt it plays more like an interactive picture book than a real puzzle game. If you want a short, unforgettable puzzle experience, buy it; if you judge games by hours per euro, wait for a sale.
Pros
- Panel-layering mechanic unlike any other puzzle game
- Lavish hand-drawn art with Escher-like optical tricks
- Wordless story told entirely through the pictures
Cons
- Short at two to four hours
- Light challenge for seasoned puzzle fans
About
Winner of Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards, Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts.
UNIQUELY IMAGINATIVE PUZZLES
The gameplay of Gorogoa is wholly original, comprised of lavishly illustrated panels that players arrange and combine in imaginative ways to solve puzzles. Impeccably simple, yet satisfyingly complex.
GORGEOUSLY HAND-DRAWN GAMEPLAY
Jason Roberts created thousands of meticulously detailed hand-drawn illustrations, encompassing the impressive scope of Gorogoa's personal narrative.
A NEW KIND OF STORYTELLING
Gorogoa isn't just a game - it's a work of art, expressing itself through soulful, charming illustrations and distinguished puzzle mechanics.
