Developer: Endflame
Publisher: Endflame, Nexting, Spacejazz
Platform: PC, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Instants – Review
Instants is a cozy puzzle game in which you play as Maya, who has a passion for scrapbooking. She starts creating photo albums for her family and friends, and it’s your goal to play as Maya and put these photos in chronological order. Once that’s done, you get plenty of freedom to decorate the pages using all kinds of stickers and sticky tape, among many other decoration options. You do all this while being surrounded by relaxing music, and you can even eat a snack or take a sip of your favourite drink! Yes, you’ve heard that right. But more of that later.
Story
The general story of Instants doesn’t stand out that much, but each album you make tells a different memory, a fun time in someone’s life. In Instants, you play as Maya, who loves scrapbooking. She starts putting photo albums together for family members and friends. The game consists of 17 chapters, each presenting a unique request from a different family member/friend of Maya’s. The collection of photos you receive within the chapter tells a story about a significant time in that person’s life. As Maya, it’s your purpose to arrange the photos chronologically and decorate them as you please. The images show moments like family vacations or a graduation. The stories that these pictures tell radiate a certain warmth, and honestly, they’re just wholesome. So, there’s no particular storyline, but this game doesn’t need one as the memories do all the work, and they do it right.
Graphics
The visuals in Instants are just as wholesome as the memories told through the pictures. They’re colorful and bright and completely fit the cozy atmosphere of the game. The art style used in the pictures is just adorable, and besides that, you can decorate the albums using all kinds of cute stickers, ranging from flower-themed stickers to cat-themed stickers. You can also use washi tape in every design imaginable.
Sound
Instants’ soundtrack is just as cozy as everything else in the game. There’s also something cool: you can unlock different tape players using coins you receive after completing an album. Pick the one you like best and play your favorite song, as you can switch songs whenever you like or even mute them when you need a moment to focus. All of the songs fit the vibe of the game and are just as relaxing as you need them to be while you’re decorating your pages. It’s also important to mention that the noises of the stickers and tape are incredibly accurate, just like the noises of the snacks and drinks you can have while playing. They’re realistic, satisfying, and don’t disturb at all.
Gameplay
Instants is a cozy puzzle game in which you have to take requests from family and friends and create a photo album using the pictures they provide you with. As Maya, you need to put these pictures in chronological order, and afterwards, you’re free to decorate as you please if you want to (you can also decide not to decorate at all, but that defeats the purpose of the game, as it’s the most fun part).
The gameplay is rather simple, but it’s important to mention that it might work better on PC, as you use a cursor. Here’s some advice: on the Switch, it’s recommended to use the touchscreen instead of the Joy-Cons as controlling the cursor with the latter might get a bit frustrating. Using the touchscreen works perfectly, and it actually feels more authentic.
To figure out the order the pictures need to be in, the game offers you a couple of tools in case you need help. First of all, the game uses an arrow system to show you whether or not the pictures are in the right order and, if not, where the picture should be. You can choose for yourself whether you want to use this feature or not. In the game, you also have a cat friend who is always there for you whenever you need assistance.
Once all the pictures are in the right order, you’re free to customize and decorate as you wish. Use colorful stickers, decorative washi tape, change the background of the pages, and add messages using different fonts. You can experiment with all of these features, as you can change their colors, size, etc. This is by far the best part of the game, as you get all the freedom you want. Be as extravagant or sober as you please. And don’t worry, the game offers a thorough tutorial at the start of the game explaining everything you need to know, so you’ll quickly get the hang of things.
It’s also important to mention that you’ll unlock new stickers, washi tape, and backgrounds after completing each album. In addition, you’ll receive coins that you can use to unlock different kinds of snacks, drinks, and tape players. And this brings us to the most adorable feature of the game: While you’re busy scrapbooking, there’ll always be a plate of snacks and a drink of your choice right next to you. When you tap these in-game, it’ll be like you’re actually eating or drinking. This is a small feature that makes the game complete. Kudos to the developers for this!
Conclusion
Instants is a simple puzzle game with a simple storyline that offers a whole lot of fun. It’s cozy, relaxing, and thus ideal to play in between bigger games or after a long day. Everything fits the wholesome, cozy vibe the game offers: the music, the visuals, the memories, the various decoration options…. You can get lost in scrapbooking and decorating for hours, and the extra details like the plate of snacks are a big plus. If you’re into cozy games, then this one should be on your list. It’s also interesting to know you can go back to the game whenever you feel like it, as you can decorate your albums even more thoroughly after you’ve finished the game. To all fans of the cozy game genre, you won’t regret picking this one up.
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