Carto

Given the review rating for this game, I realise my opinion might be a controversial one, and if there was a mixed rating option I could pick, I would've preferred to choose that. Alas, because I didn't finish the game, and I left it feeling frustrated, I decided to pick the negative option. There is a lot to like about Carto. The art style is really nice to look at. Environments are vibrant and distinct, and the characters that inhabit them are full of charm and wit. Likewise, the core gameplay mechanic is really clever and I enjoyed the various ways the game plays with the idea. But unfortunately, I was frequently frustrated by it. I don't fault Carto for being challenging sometimes; a puzzle game being challenging is obviously a good metric to have. But puzzles should be fun to solve, and more often than not, I wasn't having a good time with them. Their logic would make sense, but their execution left much to be desired. It also gets very repetitive, and while new things are introduced each chapter, they are not substantial enough to keep me fully invested, and the fast paced nature of the story meant that I couldn't push past my grievances with the gameplay loop. There was nothing else to hook on to, so I gave up. Nevertheless, if you have more patience than I have, maybe you will have a better time. I see plenty of people enjoyed the game a lot more than I did, so don't let my review stop you from checking it out. Just perhaps on a discount instead. If you would like to see a more detailed version of this review, be sure to check out my video review for the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_7_T-n7ge4

This game has cute art, fun music, a simple story, and simple mechanics. There are a couple of interesting puzzles which carry the game, but not much beyond that. It's a short and inspiring tale. There is no combat, and it's not meant to be anything more than a charming adventure. If you enjoy cozy games, this is for you. For me, this game was too slow and uninteresting. I still got a good bit out of my experience, though. 6.5/10