The core design idea of Gorogoa is so incredibly strong and well-executed that the rest doesn't really matter all that much. You get a square screen broken into four sections, each of which features an image that you often can zoom in to, out of, move, or break into layers. Your goal is to guide the main character across multiple scenes (lives?) by changing perspective and fitting different images together. That's it.

And it's absolutely brilliant.

The game is elevated above being a simple clever puzzle by wrapping its beautiful mechanics into a Buddhist (Induist?) narrative, showing the character across multiple lives and emphasizing that the world itself is structured like a fractal, with something as insignificant and mundane as a lamp or an apple hiding a whole new universe inside. The idea, while nothing new, sings perfectly in tune with the gameplay.

Gorogoa is indeed short, which I think is a plus, since the puzzles never get overly complex so as to become frustrating.

The art style and music could have, perhaps, been more unique, but even as it is, Gorogoa is definitely a must play for any puzzle lover and anyone who enjoys tight experiences dedicated to doing one thing right.

The core design idea of [i]Gorogoa[/i] is so incredibly strong and well-executed that the rest doesn't really matter all that much. You get a square screen broken into four sections, each of which features an image that you often can zoom in to, out of, move, or break into layers. Your goal is to guide the main character across multiple scenes (lives?) by changing perspective and fitting different images together. That's it. And it's absolutely brilliant. The game is elevated above being a simple clever puzzle by wrapping its beautiful mechanics into a Buddhist (Induist?) narrative, showing the character across multiple lives and emphasizing that the world itself is structured like a fractal, with something as insignificant and mundane as a lamp or an apple hiding a whole new universe inside. The idea, while nothing new, sings perfectly in tune with the gameplay. [i]Gorogoa[/i] is indeed short, which I think is a plus, since the puzzles never get overly complex so as to become frustrating. The art style and music could have, perhaps, been more unique, but even as it is, [i]Gorogoa[/i] is definitely a must play for any puzzle lover and anyone who enjoys tight experiences dedicated to doing one thing right.