PAPER TRAIL
Developer/publisher Newfangled Games Format PC Release Q1 2023
Capturing the mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension that come with leaving home, this top-down puzzler is reminiscent of the underrated Carto with an origami twist. It’s about manipulating the world to find a path forward: the part of the map you occupy can be folded, filling in gaps in wooden walkways, or forming alternative routes to bypass obstacles. Occasionally, it feels like a longwinded way to solve otherwise straightforward puzzles, particularly in one or two challenges involving pushing boulders. Yet it’s underpinned by robust logic – if you’ve folded a piece up from the bottom, for example, then the left and right sides are locked, but you can fold the top corners in diagonally – so you’re never left floundering. With a haunting score lending an ambience of mystery, we’re keen to discover how this journey unfolds.