Developer: Cafundo Estudio Criativo Eireli
Publisher: Buka Entertainment
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Tetragon – Review
Videogames have come a long way and sometimes it can be pretty difficult to come up with fresh ideas. This is especially true because so many things have already been done before. It is always great when a rather unique idea pops up and is made with enough effort to produce a fun and interesting title. In Tetragon you play as Lucious, a man who finds himself lost in a rather special world. You will need to find the gateway back to your world, but everything isn’t as it seems. With a rather puzzling story, you make your way through the square rooms of a mysterious world.
Story
The game starts with a man looking for a child in the forest, and when you reach this child, everything goes black. Suddenly you are transported to a strange world where the walls move and mysterious energy is radiating from all kinds of relics. A mysterious voice calls to you, guiding you through the many levels, telling you that you must find the secret garden so you can return back to your world. During your travels, you will encounter the ghost of the child who claims that you are his father. Is it true or is this just a vivid hallucination? There isn’t much story evolution throughout the game. You sometimes interact with the ghost when you find him, and by doing so, you make the mysterious voice angry. The story slowly unfolds if you take the time to collect all the special items, bringing you closer to the truth. You can perfectly skip collecting these items if you wish, as the story takes the backseat in this game.
Graphics
The visual style of Tetragon is a blend of hand-drawn graphics, backgrounds, and slightly voxel-inspired assets. Each biome has its own setting and feeling, like the forest is a lively green with trees and bushes, whereas the castle has prestigious interiors with a lot of furniture and a warmer and cozier setting. One noticeable thing about the game is that your screen is a perfect square. This design choice has been done because most puzzles will have you rotating the entire map. The rest of the space is used for showing the controls or the currently available input options.
Sound
Throughout the game, there is some really calming background music playing. This doesn’t really change when visiting other biomes, but rather continues the illusion that you can clear this adventure in one sitting. There are a few sound effects from walls and towers moving, and also from interacting with the various items, but this is as far as the sound design goes. Characters are not voiced, but they do make some grunts when climbing or falling.
Gameplay
Tetragon is a puzzle game where you must reach the exit of each level to progress to the next one. It all begins when Lucious is wandering in the woods and suddenly loses consciousness. He is met by a mysterious voice helping him reach the first portal, by moving towers for him. After a few levels, you find your first item and now have the ability to move towers yourself, and this is when the game really takes off. The goal is simple, as you simply need to move the map so you can reach your destination. This can be done by moving towers to give you climbing or walking points and but also by rotating the entire map at certain statues.
The game loves to make you think hard about puzzles, and sometimes there will be some statues placed to rotate the map while you shouldn’t use them. This means you’ll need to plan your path beforehand. There aren’t too many rules to remember, as the game only expands on its puzzles ever so slightly during the later levels. You will find a trinket that allows you to jump higher, thus making some puzzles easier, but it is just an essential tool as the game introduces newer and harder mechanics, such as burning towers that can kill you, high drops, switches, and portals.
Controlling Lucious is pretty straightforward. You move around and climb obstacles, move around towers or rotate the map. The controls are displayed on the screen when interacting. Only the usage of the lantern, which allows you to move towers, can sometimes feel a bit clunky, especially in timed events when moving burning towers (they cool down if they don’t move).
Unlike some puzzle games that you beat in a heartbeat, the levels in Tetragon will take a while. Because the controls are pretty simple, it makes for a game that everyone can get into. Even with some trial and error, you will eventually successfully beat the level.
Conclusion
Tetragon is a neat little puzzle game that will have your brain working overtime. Not only having to move around towers, but to do so in combination with rotating the map, makes for some intriguing gameplay. The graphics are really lovely and the sounds are decent. Tetragon is that game that anyone in your household could play, and while it might require some thinking, you can get there with some trial and error in the end.
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