A point-and-click environmental puzzling solving adventure game, Papetura is a quality digital download. An emotional game, one built around curiosity and creativity, this hand-crafted title took a better part of a decade to complete by a solo developer. This is a labor of love and it clearly shows.
Playing as a crinkled piece of paper and with puzzle gameplay like Limbo, the ultimate goal is to clear an environmental puzzle so you can move onto the next. There is no action and no way to die so the journey remains heartfelt and casual throughout. It is a creative little puzzle title with a visual style unlike any other.
Using literal paper as the model for most things on screen, you can easily see how long this game must have taken to develop. Mixed with impressive lighting effects and abstract environments, this is one game that holds the player’s attention even with the over saturated yellow aesthetic. There is visual personality at every moment.
Explaining the gameplay can spoil the overall experience so I will not go into detail but know that the puzzle solving and visual story telling is top notch. Eventually, you will befriend a cat-gun (don’t question it, just go with it) and the game especially becomes a slow-paced twin-stick shooter. If you do get stuck, there is a creatively designed built-in hint system to point you in the right direction. By burping (again, just go with it), you must complete a simple but slightly increasing in difficulty mini game to be rewarded with a speech bubble that gives the player a guiding hand. Other than getting stuck at the part with the blow fish thing, mostly because timing is rather tight, I never got stuck at a puzzle for more than a minute or two so the challenge and pacing remains tightly paced.
Besides the unique look and quality use of light/shadow, the experience just wouldn’t be the same without the quality soundtrack. The sweeping musical themes carry the experience from one set piece to another with great care. It is so well done I recommend just leaving the game on while you make dinner or do chores around the house.
Perhaps my favorite aspect comes from the game’s length. From start to finish, the total time it takes to see the end is around 90 minutes. It is very refreshing and welcomed to be able to play and finish a game, one that holds your attention and doesn’t outstay its welcome, in one sitting in a sea of AAA titles that require 100+ hours. As a busy adult, I wish more games were this compact these days.
If you enjoyed titles like Limbo or Inside, Papetura needs to be added to your game library. The story is memorable, the gameplay is nearly perfectly paced, and the presentation is outstanding. Also, I encourage you to play this game for yourself. I guess watching a playthrough on YouTube is better than nothing but you really need to sit down, take your time, and play this for yourself. Do not look up online FAQs or guides. If you go in blind, this is one of those games that is all the better for it. Put this game on your wishlist immediately.
SCORE: 8/10
Also Try: Voyage
Don’t Forget About: The Mooseman
Also Play: Journey of the Broken Circle
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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