Tangle Tower (2019)

I had tried tangle tower a while ago but dropped it, I didn’t like the detective style gameplay with no real inventory puzzles or, well, gameplay period. I decided to try again because Crow Country BLEW me away and so far is my game of the year. But unfortunately, I reallllly disliked it.

A couple good things - the art style, voice acting, and few puzzles included in the game are definitely solid. The production value is high. But just about everything else falls flat on its face for me.

Gameplay is most visual novel. Just click through every dialogue option, and try to focus on the mildly interesting personalities presented. The story just does nothing for me, and in this type of game that matters so much. The “twist” was so lukewarm and just made me go “oh, ok.”

Not sure why some people seem to love this game. I really wanted to, but I just don’t see its value.

I played this game with my kids. When the game ended, my oldest asked if I was going to post it on Grouvee. "Of course," I responded. "What should I give it?" Five, ten, a hundref - the kids haven't decided what the rating scale of Grouvee is, but they are certain that they loved this game. And there is a lot to love! Gorgeously designed characters deliver well written dialogue through some solid performances. It features a handful of fun puzzles to tell a story that is one part Laika film, one part Home Movies season two, and one part Agatha Christie.*

But unlike my children, my enjoyment was hindered by some design/plot choices. The worst of which is the way you solve the mystery. You combine clues, suspects, and preset clauses to deduce truths about the titular tower. Not the worst way to solve a mystery, but this makes moments where you're forced to trial and error your way through solving the mystery. It makes those wonderful "Aha"s into forced tedium.

I have a few other gripes (including the rushed ending), but I did enjoy my time with Sally and Grimoire. Not enough to give it a five or a ten or a hundred, but enough to try out The Mermaid's Tongue, their next adventure, when it comes out later this year.

*I only know so many mystery authors, so maybe another name makes more sense. But the game features a big cast of characters all with their own secrets to uncover... that's Christie to me!

Tangle Tower is an amusing mystery game built upon a foundation of great artwork, character design, and voice acting. Initially I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the game due to its art direction but I fell in love quickly with the setting backdrops and the cast of characters that are brought to life with animations during conversations.

The puzzles can be challenging but their solutions are easy to understand so I never found a need to look up a guide. I managed to unlock all achievements without a guide but I was very thorough with my investigation so if you're an achievement hunter, make sure to click on all the things.

For the most part this is a light-hearted mystery game though the tone shifts in its finale.

I recommend this game to those who enjoy puzzles, quirky characters, and need something cozy to play in bed on your Steam Deck.

I found this game to be a charming little murder mystery.

It didn't over stay it's welcome, and in fact, I feel like it maybe ended too abruptly.

I was just starting to piece together some of the items on my own (and actually going on a rabbit-hole styled conspiracy theory that was ultimately wrong), and the game forced my hand to solve it and spoon-fed me the ending.

The art was nice and the sound that I actually listened to (I played during meetings at work and had it muted some of the time) was pleasant. The voice acting was fine, nothing good or bad that I encountered.....I just wish there was a way to speed it along at time without spending cycles clicking to pause and unpause the dialogue to make it move faster.

I did get it on sale for $5 USD and felt that to be about fair for pricing perspectives, but if I had paid the normal $20 USD, I may have felt robbed. I think a good price is somewhere in the middle, so the price I paid was a decent deal.

Overall, it was a good day or so of puzzles during my work meetings.

~David.

The art style is kinda cute and the animations are so fluid and bouncy.
Love the charactets, love every bit of dialogue it has.
The soundtrack also adds up to the atmosphere.

I'm not a big fan of point and click adventures, but this one doesn't allow you to get stuck and delivers an interesting story. It was a seamless experience, I felt like watching a movie.

You know it was good, when you go listening for the ost and lookig through the artbooks after beating the game. I'll miss these characters.