Platonic
released on May 13, 2022
Platonic is a first-person puzzle adventure game. Explore five unique worlds. Solve logical challenges. Gather clues and think outside the cube.
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I wasn't feeling this one at first. The graphics are nice and the puzzles are pretty clever as long as you can tolerate slider puzzles. But the movement in this movement-based game is really clumsy and awkward. You can't run anywhere without catching on some pebble--sized invisible wall. And, well, you have to be able to tolerate slider puzzles.
Towards the end, though, Platonic kicks it up a notch in terms of difficulty and complexity. This spike verges on the mean-spirited (if you thought the problem with Ocarina of Time's Water Temple was a lack of slider puzzles, have I got the game for you), but the puzzles that come with it are so satisfying. They're as good as anything in the Myst series - as in those games' best puzzles, you graduate from using machines and codes to figuring out the underlying patterns and relationships, and then to reverse-engineering the machines to get the results you want. Really good stuff.
Still not a perfect game by any means. Movement really does feel bad, and the puzzle sequence is not super-tight (I can think of a couple of puzzles I never had to solve, so I think I solved another puzzle earlier than expected and broke the sequence). But I ended the game smiling.
Oh, and I figured out that post-game "thanks for playing" code as well. Very good.
Towards the end, though, Platonic kicks it up a notch in terms of difficulty and complexity. This spike verges on the mean-spirited (if you thought the problem with Ocarina of Time's Water Temple was a lack of slider puzzles, have I got the game for you), but the puzzles that come with it are so satisfying. They're as good as anything in the Myst series - as in those games' best puzzles, you graduate from using machines and codes to figuring out the underlying patterns and relationships, and then to reverse-engineering the machines to get the results you want. Really good stuff.
Still not a perfect game by any means. Movement really does feel bad, and the puzzle sequence is not super-tight (I can think of a couple of puzzles I never had to solve, so I think I solved another puzzle earlier than expected and broke the sequence). But I ended the game smiling.
Oh, and I figured out that post-game "thanks for playing" code as well. Very good.
What do I say about a game that had one horrible element among fantastic ones?
I love what this game is. I love that you need pencil and paper and trial and error to solve its puzzles, I love how the puzzles chained into elaborate level-spanning hidden paths. 4/5 of the worlds were great, and I had such joy with every AHA! moment.
Something went horribly wrong in hexagon, the icy level world. The maze puzzle? Freaking hard, but good fun, loved it. Everything about the codes though, I don't understand. I still don't understand. I actually brute forced my way through every single puzzle involving the passwords in that area. I feel caveman level stupid but it just was not coming to me and I was desperate for progress and to see the game through. I still haven't looked up what the deal was with it. Was it obvious and I'm stupid? Was it convoluted and I'm justified? Idk man. It just felt bad.
Otherwise, incredible first person puzzler. The style was fresh, the wordlessness was calming, the elaborate secrets were enthralling.
I love what this game is. I love that you need pencil and paper and trial and error to solve its puzzles, I love how the puzzles chained into elaborate level-spanning hidden paths. 4/5 of the worlds were great, and I had such joy with every AHA! moment.
Something went horribly wrong in hexagon, the icy level world. The maze puzzle? Freaking hard, but good fun, loved it. Everything about the codes though, I don't understand. I still don't understand. I actually brute forced my way through every single puzzle involving the passwords in that area. I feel caveman level stupid but it just was not coming to me and I was desperate for progress and to see the game through. I still haven't looked up what the deal was with it. Was it obvious and I'm stupid? Was it convoluted and I'm justified? Idk man. It just felt bad.
Otherwise, incredible first person puzzler. The style was fresh, the wordlessness was calming, the elaborate secrets were enthralling.