Around Halloween, two mystery games released on the Switch: Tangle Tower and Obra Dinn. I wanted both, but could only justify buying one. I picked the cheaper option, and hooo boy, it was worth every penny.
This isn’t a review, per se, about Tangle Tower, simply because it’s a few weeks late. Also, it’s hard to review a game such as this one, which is half adventure game and half puzzle game surrounding a murder mystery. I could talk about the puzzles and/or talk about the story. It’s hard to do both without spoiling too much. That said though, I will say this about the story: once I started the game it was hard to put down, like a riveting mystery thriller. I’m talking ignoring kids even while they’re fighting and making a mess riveting (based on a true story).
The player controls two private detectives, Grimoire and Sally, as they investigate probably one of the strangest murders known to man. It appears that a painting has murdered the painter. Surely that can’t be possible, right? Of course it’s not possible, otherwise this would be one hell of a ghost story, albeit a boring murder mystery. No one who lives in Tangle Tower is that forthcoming with the details. For example, the subject of the painting, Flora, doesn’t speak. Others weren’t present and didn’t witness the murder, yet only a few people seem broken up at all that a young girl was murdered. Grimoire and Sally have to do a lot of snooping and plenty of sleuthing to coax Tower inhabitants to talk.
That’s where the adventure comes in. G&S will have to explore the various rooms of the Tower, find any and all clues, and press every dweller for a statement. Hilariously, you have to get a statement from everyone in order to move on, and that includes the silent Flora. At least questioning her doesn’t take very long.
Tangle Tower is one of those games where the journey is ten times more enjoyable than the destination. Every moment I spent working out puzzles to unlock new areas, using clues to pry the truth out of people, and learning how everyone in the Tower is somewhat related was an absolute delight. The actual reveal for the murderer was a bit of a let down. It wasn’t someone who I expected, which is always a plus. But the resolution was far from satisfactory. It’s almost an afterthought.
You’re so busy learning all of the secrets of Tangle Tower and its residents, all of those discoveries are far more fascinating than solving the whodunnit. Perhaps it’s because you never really do solve it yourself. You’re robbed of an “ah ha!” moment. Instead, the murderer pretty much falls in your lap, and you can get the grisly truth from them with no effort. In addition, I felt like I had more questions than answers. Maybe a replay will fill in the blanks? Now that I know the answers to the puzzles, it shouldn’t take me as long a second time, that’s for sure.
I may have to give it a go.
All of that said, though, I do highly recommend this game. The journey to get to the end is well worth every second of your time. Not to mention, the voice acting is top notch, and I can’t wait to see more Switch titles from this team.
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