40 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 1.8 hrs on record
Posted: Dec 4, 2021 @ 9:28am
Product received for free

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Papetura is an abstract wordless point and click adventure told in a paper-sculpture world painstakingly made by the developer over many years. The quality of the finished game is incredible, even though it's short. I took my time with the game and spent under 2 hours finishing it, as the world is small and the puzzles fairly straight forward.

But the most impressive thing about this game is the hard work that went into creating the world. You do not have to look at it for long before you start to appreciate just now much effort was spent making the smallest of details. See this video here from the developer's YouTube channel to showcase some of the processes and care that had to go into creating the sculptures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRQCKOwOMtQ

Gameplay
In classic point and click fashion, you will be guiding the main character through a series of puzzles in order to progress the story along. The puzzles found within this game are all fairly straight forward and progression is linear as well. Because of the relatively abstract nature of the characters found within and that the story is wordless, there's not a lot of plot development that tugs at the players' heartstrings, nevertheless, every moment spent while playing this game is very enjoyable, if nothing else, then just by looking at all of the fine details in the sets created for the game.

One thing to note is that there are some tedious and slow-walking sections that if you are bothered by these, you might find the sections a bit lackluster.

Another hugely important item to mention is that in the 2nd half of the game there are a couple of small timed sections. For people who have trouble clicking and maneuvering around on a timed restriction, this can be troublesome. This is just a caveat, as I have a friend who is struggling to complete the game due to this.

Controls
You play with the mouse only.

Graphics
This game doesn't just have graphics, it has art, in full 3D solid form, as every aspect of the game was carefully designed and hand-built as paper sculptures to give it that very unique look and feel. The game is simply beautifully constructed, and I spent most of my time oggling at the stuff on the screen during my time spent so far.

Music & Sounds
The music and sound effects are all done rather well. There are high points, low points, and everything in between. The sounds change depending on your interactions with the environment, and you will pretty much experience all of the music and sound effects because there is nothing optional here in this game.

Audience
For people who want to ooh and aah at some really impressive artwork that took the developer years to build and for those who want to support a truly impressive feat in indie game design. The point and click game within is decent and short but is also not outstanding in anyway, with not very challenging puzzles and the timed element causing headaches to some. You will get all achievements playing the game just once, there's nothing hidden, so it's an easy 100% for those looking.

Pricing
The base price is $11.99/9,99€ and so the money:time ratio doesn't necessarily meet the requirements for a lot of people, but it is totally worth it. You are taking a bit of time to wander around the virtual museum of paper sculptures that were actually pieced together bit by bit, slowly, over years, by the developer to give this unique look and feel. It's truly a remarkable undertaking and the end result is something that we have never seen in a game before and may never see again.

Conclusion
Papetura is dazzling in its artistic prowess, and is worthwhile to look at just for this alone. The little game that accompanies the artwork is a bonus, and serves to showcase every bit of this small paper-made museum. It is fairly easy and there are hints that you can use to give you some ideas if you feel stuck.

I would recommend that anyone who is interested to at least wishlist and follow the game. I don't know if we will see a sequel or perhaps a parallel project because I cannot fathom the number of hours it must have taken just for the level designs. So enjoy this unique game design as it is truly refreshing.

I do wish that the timed parts can be a bit more forgiving, as my friend is actually struggling to personally see to the end of this beautiful game, which is sad.

Score: 8/10

I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.
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9 Comments
janner66 Dec 16, 2021 @ 2:32am 
Brilliant. Thanks for clarifying. I guess a lot of developers don't think about how sections like this, which are almost out of place in a game like this, can effect gamers with disabilities or pain conditions. Like you said, an option to toggle these sections would be most welcomed.
YQMaoski Dec 15, 2021 @ 7:38pm 
The timed sections are not bad at all for someone like you or me. Having played It Takes Two with you, I know you wouldn't have any trouble with it.
janner66 Dec 15, 2021 @ 4:16am 
Thanks for the review.

I've played a few games where the game world is the most interesting thing. It's not always about the puzzling or the story, sometimes it can just be about the experience. I don't mind a game that is relaxing and beautiful, after all playing games is about escaping. I'll definitely keep an eye out on this one. I just hope those timed sections aren't too bad.
FruitNDoggie Dec 9, 2021 @ 3:57pm 
More like paper-tura.
YQMaoski Dec 4, 2021 @ 10:48pm 
Thanks for stopping by and reading @lampycat and @garnetofeden. The gameplay is probably short due to the fact that everything had to be physically made, so there was a limit on levels/scenes as a result. But the puzzles could have been a bit more involved in terms of logical thinking and also removing/making the timed elements optional would have been nice.
garnetofeden Dec 4, 2021 @ 11:40am 
I am very interested in this game from an art perspective, so it's nice to see that it's at least worth it for that, although maybe not quite where it needs to be for more robust gameplay. Thanks for the review!
LampyCat Dec 4, 2021 @ 10:48am 
Very interesting review!!! :heart_abs:
YQMaoski Dec 4, 2021 @ 9:45am 
I am glad that my review at least helped you with making some kind of an informed decision about the game anyway. Have a great weekend!
Dohi64 Dec 4, 2021 @ 9:40am 
with multiple reviews confirming my worries it's time to un-wishlist this. the usual style over substance and the dev has no idea what makes p&c games good (hint: it's not timed sections or slow walking). might watch a let's play at some point, but playing it doesn't sound fun.