REVIEW / Paper Trail (PC)

It’s always nice to come across something different. We spend so much of our time comparing things to other things that sometimes a game that should be pretty exciting just gets reduced to mediocrity because it isn’t being taken on its own merits. We’ve already decided what a title is going to be like simply on the basis of someone telling us, “It’s a bit like … (insert title here).” We make assumptions before we’ve even loaded the game and this isn’t really fair. This being said, it’s nice when someone asks us what a game is like, and we can’t give them an answer. With this in mind, we’re going into Paper Trail, a game that’s not really like any other title I can think of off the top of my head. This on its own is exciting, and I’m looking forward to telling you how I got on.

What makes Paper Trail so different is the level design. In this top-down puzzle adventure, you’ll have to fold the levels to create new paths, reveal platforms, and find secrets. Often, you can’t see where you’re going next until you’ve done a bit of origami, and suddenly, it all becomes clear. This is a really fun way to play. I love how the aesthetic goes along with this, too. The levels feel like a collection of beautifully drawn pages sitting next to each other. It really feels like you’re not only playing through a story but also playing through a piece of art.

Very briefly, this is a charming tale about a young girl running away from home. Her journey is so much more than this, but this is the premise. This isn’t a case of running from anything specific, mind you. Over-protective parents often find it difficult to let their kids go, and this is the case here. As this title is very story-driven, I’m not going to give you anything more than that snippet of an idea, but I will say that the writing is excellent. This is a tale with a really whimsical feel to it, and the graphical choices that have been made only add to this. A lot of games in the puzzle genre aren’t particularly strong in the story department, largely because they don’t need to be. The narrative here definitely get’s a plus.

I love the fact that in Paper Trail, the way forward isn’t always obvious. You will often have to fold the level in a number of different ways at once to find a solution, and this is a lot more difficult than it sounds. It’s not just about working out which edge or corner you need to fold but also how far to fold it. You also have to take into account where your character is standing. You can never fold over yourself, and this is important to note. You may have found the perfect solution to a problem, and the reason it isn’t working is simply that you’re standing in the wrong place. Collectable secrets are often hidden on the flip side of the level you’re standing on, and getting these is tough. You might need to work out a different folding pattern if you’re going to get to them. I can tell you for a fact that collecting them all is going to be no mean feat.

Paper Trail is a weird one because there isn’t a vast amount to talk about with this game. This isn’t because it’s not very good or that it doesn’t have depth, but rather that everything hinges on a great balance between the story elements and the mechanics. If you removed the folding mechanic and just took this game as a top-down adventure, it wouldn’t be doing anything truly interesting. The story is good, but it’s not enough to make this title stand out on its own.

I’m usually critical of games that rely heavily on one mechanic to carry them. The reason for this is that if that mechanic starts taking precedence over everything else, to the point of feeling forced, it can do a title a real disservice. In Paper Trail, as I’ve just mentioned, everything has to revolve around the folding mechanic, but it still feels like all the other elements are working in tandem with rather than in spite of it. This is surprisingly hard to achieve and definitely worth pointing out.

All in all, Paper Trail is a great puzzler with a fun, if a little infuriating, mechanic. It’s not infuriating because it doesn’t work well, rather that it can make things look more simple than they actually are. In your head, you’re thinking that a very straightforward folding pattern will be all you need to move on. It’s when that pattern doesn’t work, and you spend the next thirty minutes trying different combinations that you suddenly realise that this game has teeth. Nothing is so difficult that you’ll want to give up, but there is definitely an amount of trial and error here that might not be for everyone. I will say that finding solutions to the various puzzles is rewarding, and you’ll give yourself a pat on the back when you do. My advice is to keep in mind that everything has a logical solution. There isn’t any moon logic here, so take a breath and try again.

I really enjoyed my time with Paper Trail. This is a fun, innovative little puzzler that I can almost garuantee will get a fan of the puzzle genre hooked enough to play to completion. The elements of trial and error won’t be for everyone and storytelling is going to be subjective in any title, but there isn’t really anything here I’d call a glowing negative. All in all this is a solid one if you like a good head scratcher.