Puzzle Agent impressions!

[adventureaddict]

Originally Posted by quickfics

Sure, a handful of the puzzles fell flat, including one I solved correctly (given the stated rules) twice, only to have it be rejected. I'm looking at you, final gnome-delivering bird puzzle.

Glad I wasn't the only one!

But yeah, I would love to know if we're going to see more Puzzle Agent or not, it was absolutely brilliant.

[richmcd]

Do you mean "Hot Hawks"? It's pretty easy to prove that there's only one solution to that given the stated rules. I had trouble that it sometimes connected lines I didn't want it to in a way that was difficult to see.

I must say I'm pretty disappointed. The art and sound were great but I thought the writing was pretty lacklustre by Telltale's standards (not the story, just the individual dialogue lines - as though the writers found themselves at a loss writing in a sparse style where every line doesn't have to be exposition, a hint or a joke.) Also there were a fair few typos, which just looks shoddy.

The puzzles were largely uninspiring, although I liked the bug ones - a nice variation on Shikaku.

And some of the puzzle instructions were terrible. I was shocked when I saw the number of playtesters listed in the credits: if you're going to punish people for experimenting with your puzzle (which is understandable in a format where many answers are multiple choice) then your instructions have to be crystal clear, so people have a reasonable chance of getting them first time. We should be told that every square needs an arrow in it, or that the elevators are going to move simultaneously etc.

I'd happily play more episodes, but they need to be a lot less rough around the edges.

[Linque]

Finished the game, mixed feelings, I so much want to love this game to bits, but there are a few negatives. Negatives that can easily be improved in future episodes, though! I'll just put everything ins spoiler tags to make things easier for me.


Pros:
+ The art is fantastic
+ Main storyline rocks and had me interested
+ Gameplay elements are spot on
+ Love the creepiness of it all
+ The characters are interesting and natural (albeit especially Nelson is too bland, check out cons)
+ Love, love, love the voice acting! So much better than most other telltale episodes!
+ Enjoyed the difficulty level of many of the puzzles

Cons (I only list the ones that really matter to me):
- The characters are a bit bland. I don't want over the top, but Nelson has really no personality. On one hand he is afraid of the hidden people, on the other hand he is really brave. On one hand he loves the adventure, on the other hand he likes the safety of his office. You can't quite put your finger on what kind of a person Nelson is. The sheriff, the innkeeper and bjorn are the three best characters in the game.
- The ending could use a bit (a lot) more polish. For example Nelson could've been given a smalle team and ordered to set up temporary office at Scoggins to investigate the events further. Then the final scene where you can access unfinished puzzles could be at this new office.
- This was a big negative to me: The puzzles with puzzle pieces (especially the furnace puzzle at the end and the dinner plate puzzle) quite simply suck. Bigtime. All you do is shuffle around pieces and hope for them to stick together. No skill involved but still very tedious, difficult and time consuming. In general there were perhaps too many of these kind of traditional assembling puzzles, but that's understandable for an episodic game - the puzzles can be improved upon.
- Problems with some puzzles made the game seem unpolished:
1) the chair puzzle at the diner, I assembled the correct image perfectly upside down, but it rejected my answer. Had to turn it around
2) the moment of clarity (soundwave) puzzle didn't explain that the soundwave won't pass through an empty slot, so my first solution didn't work


Thats it for the most important parts. I hope this series gets continued and improved upon. There's a lot of potential!

[richmcd]

Actually it was rule #4 of the hydraulic lift puzzle - "A lift will stop moving once it reaches its goal" (although that should probably say "A goal" to not give the false impression that the lifts have to stay in order, which some people have been confused about.)

I think the problem is that the rules are on a separate page, which makes them difficult to remember.

[adventureaddict]

Originally Posted by richmcd

Do you mean "Hot Hawks"? It's pretty easy to prove that there's only one solution to that given the stated rules. I had trouble that it sometimes connected lines I didn't want it to in a way that was difficult to see.

Actually you're quite right, I just had a quick look and somehow I had skipped the part where it says the lines can't be crossed.

[Linque]

Originally Posted by richmcd

Actually it was rule #4 of the hydraulic lift puzzle - "A lift will stop moving once it reaches its goal" (although that should probably say "A goal" to not give the false impression that the lifts have to stay in order, which some people have been confused about.)

I think the problem is that the rules are on a separate page, which makes them difficult to remember.

Alright, then scrap that example. Weird that I was able to omit that rule.

[browen]

I agree with Linque, the "put the pieces together" puzzles were really bad. For one they are way too cluttered because in most cases the workspace is too small. When I tried moving the pieces just to be able to see every piece, they start sticking together, and before I know it half of the puzzle is solved, by accident. The furnace puzzle particularly annoying because when trying to select a small piece it would always select the pieces behind it.

Also many of the instructions in the puzzles were a bit too vague, forcing me to guess what the game actually wants me to do, instead of allowing me to produce a logical answer based on the stated rules.

[Irishmile]

Definitely captures the look and feel of a grickle toon or comic.... I would love to see more from this world... maybe a proper Grickle Adventure game...

[LordKinbote]

Originally Posted by browen

Also many of the instructions in the puzzles were a bit too vague, forcing me to guess what the game actually wants me to do, instead of allowing me to produce a logical answer based on the stated rules.

I don't know about "many". There were a few that could have used an extra rule for clarity, but not a whole bunch, and certainly not as many as it seemed from first glance. I personally liked that some of the puzzles *seemed* like they didn't give you enough information, but then you realize that they completely did.

[martster]

I was loving the game so much, right up until it ended. Please don't leave me hanging for too long and make this a full season. It was great.

I really enjoyed the story, its a masterpiece. The art work, characters and voices are excellent. The puzzles are decent too, I was stumped a couple of times but thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to.... um...... finish?

[scoundrelking]

Fantastic game!

Most of the puzzles were the perfect difficulty, although I had to pull out pen and paper a few times, and with the clothesline crows I swear I had the right answer at first, but it told me I was incorrect, leading to a few "what the heck" moments.

I know that in some puzzles the rules could have been a bit more explained, but it's not the end of the world. The 100% perfectionists are grumping about it, but trial and error are part of adventure gaming for me.

I play on 1920x1080 and I would love to see the graphics tightened up a bit, specifically in places where there are close ups on characters, otherwise looked great. I love the art style, and the creeeeeeepy moments were certainly creeeeeepy.

Can't wait for more of these. (although I'm sure I'll have to )

One teeny tiny request: don't release games so late in the evening! (10pm CST here) I was thiiiiiiis close to bed, and BOOM: PUZZLE AGENT. Stayed up an extra 3 hours because of your artistry! Damn you! I have an MA thesis to write! You know your games are like crack!

<3 you, Telltale.


edit: Oh, and I thought the tiered hint system was great. Also I'm not positive, but I think the hints for the 3rd "bug puzzle" were displaying the hints for the 2nd bug puzzle accidentally, because I am certain the patterns it suggested were no where to be seen.

[malkronos]

Thanks to Telltale for putting out such a neat game! I played the Professor Layton games for the DS, and I feel that it more than adequately prepared me to play this game well.

Some people have already said this, but there were some puzzles that were poorly worded (arm wrestling and fish, namely) And I also noticed a few spelling errors (Teethers? You missed out on a funny joke by having it written wrong and pronounced by the voice actor correctly.)

I appreciated the go-here-next bar at the top of the screen most of the time, but it was irritating that you had to follow the instructions right then and couldn't go to a different area. (You WILL ride the snow-mobile)

I started out playing Sam and Max and Monkey Island. It's cool to deviate from these very funny games in such a profound way. Puzzle Agent retains all the quirkiness of other Telltale titles while scaring me silly. I hope I don't have dreams of pointy red hats... The character design and music lend themselves superbly to the telling of the story.

I hope I can return to Scoggins and get some answers in a future game, and also hear the strangely Sarah Palin-esque voice of the hotel clerk.

Thanks again for an enjoyable experience!

[StingingVelvet]

Well I like the style, but one the second puzzle with the logs and such the puzzle is broken I guess? No logs or anything else appear on the grid... can't for the life of me understand what to do there.

[LordKinbote]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Well I like the style, but one the second puzzle with the logs and such the puzzle is broken I guess? No logs or anything else appear on the grid... can't for the life of me understand what to do there.

You can move the logs that are already placed. Is that what you mean? Or is there literally nothing?

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by LordKinbote

You can move the logs that are already placed. Is that what you mean? Or is there literally nothing?

There is nothing, I guess it is a glitch. There are no logs, no hotel, no snowmobile or lights, just a grid with trees.

I'll try rebooting the game.

[StingingVelvet]

Well I could not leave the puzzle to save I guess, tried everything to stop talking to the old man. Eventually I just stopped the game with alt-f4... then of course it asks me to start a new game. I do, and then discover that the cut-scenes are not skippable and I have to sit through everything again?

Way to go at making me never want to play this game again. Oh well.

[Linque]

Skippable cutscenes would've been nice.

[scoundrelking]

One final note: Coming from Wisconsin, we love to poke fun at Minnesota's use of the words "Hot Dish" for Casserole. Although, in the long run, it probably makes a whole lot more sense.

Dang, now I'm in the mood for Macaroni Bake or Cheeseburger Casserole (the one with tater tots on top...)

The Midwest is fantastic.

[DrRocketGenius]

It was almost perfect. And then the ending started playing. The ending was very, very disappointing. Unless it's setting it up for if the game actually gets made into a season with the first episode being him going back to search for Isaac without permission.

[akaimizu]

So far, I'm liking it. I'm liking the environment as well. I also think the puzzles are quite pleasant. I actually did get stumped, one time, already. Partially because I just didn't *see* the puzzle with the right perspective and shading. I guess, it probably would've solved itself if I copied it down on paper and actually filled it in without trying to mentally fill it in on the screen. Oddly enough, it would be one case where it would be more easily solved on a portable system.

Otherwise, as another person said, it's nice to see some puzzles that (at first glance) look like they don't give you enough information, but you realize that they did.

And though I've already played through the first two Professor Layton games, I've already seen a lot of puzzle types that I've never seen in either of them. (Most of them, actually.)

Tethers is also a pretty likable guy, to me. You can almost see, in his mannerisms and know-how, that he's a guy who has some training in field work, but for some reasons he's been relegated to a nearly forgotten line of work in the FBI. He comes across as a guy who is aspiring for some higher office in the FBI, and yet he isn't incompetant. A good way to break away from the Hollywood movie stereotype.