[quote]A review copy was provided by the developer.[/quote]
[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Average ★★★☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
I've had on my eye on Secret Agent Puzzle (SAP) for a while, but few people were showing enough interest to pick up the game for themselves. However, with a few positive reviews, and an interesting variety of achievement completion rates, I decided it would be worth the risk to take a review key. Would I be able to beat all the puzzles without a walkthrough to rely on? Personally, it's not a bet I'd have taken.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
Honestly, I'm sure there's a specific name or category for this kind of puzzle, with the goal being to find the right path to reach the exit. It's not just a simple maze, but instead includes different types of squares you can walk across. Plain ones will vanish once you step off them, removing that square from the route, which I often found to be the most common and difficult aspect to figure out. Blue squares can be walked on another time before they'll vanish, and this contrast often gives an important clue about how you have to navigate around the puzzle. Traps ironically aren't much of a hazard, as deactivating them in advance becomes one of the least difficult to determine elements. Another factor that becomes very common is picking up a shape and having to place it on the corresponding square, as all of them have to be placed before the exit is accessible. Determining the order you have to place those shapes becomes one of the most important elements to solving puzzles, because figuring out the correct sequence is crucial.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3484432187
[h1]Controls[/h1]
Since you can't accidentally walk off a square and to your doom, the controls minimize your chances of making a wrong move. It'd be just as easy to play this game with either a keyboard or controller. Sometimes I'd make the wrong move because I screwed up the route I was supposed to take in my mind. In those instances, I wish I could hit a button for a one move undo. Otherwise though, I have no complaints about how SAP's controls worked.
[h1]Story[/h1]
As the title indicates, you're taking on the role of a secret agent, who is attempting to put an end to the last super villain on the loose. Catching her is much harder than expected though, as you keep having to zip around the planet, going from one lair to the next. Considering what the twist was, it probably would have made more sense to show the villain on screen as she disappears, instead of her just vanishing during a short, unexplained blackout. Perhaps she shouldn't disintegrate, but something to that effect would have made the storyline more logical.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3484432540
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
Generally it's not much of a problem for a puzzle game to not have many other images aside from all the puzzles you're solving, and it's not a huge issue in this case either. However, considering the amount of times the characters banter with each other, it wouldn't have hurt to use different backgrounds and locations, so they could converse without standing in the same area where you unlock the villain's security measures. Different visuals would have better distinguished between when you're playing, and watching more story unfold. That aside, all the puzzle elements were well conveyed to players with symbols and distinct color choices, making it easy to know every important component of each puzzle. I also enjoyed the character designs, as I didn't necessarily want to sucker punch the somewhat cocky spy.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
I double-checked the volume settings and how they were set on my computer, and despite both being quite loud, the music is faint in this game. That's not unreasonable for a puzzle title, but it could probably benefit from a higher ceiling so you can actually hear it better. Since it was so light throughout most of my playthrough, I more often than not was tuning it out entirely, yet I don't believe it changes from one chapter to the next. Considering how the locations altered the mechanics, but never the setting, that doesn't surprise me much. The music is pretty much just a faint, casual tune that makes use of whistling, so it felt relaxing as I tried solving the harder set-ups.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3484432878
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 When you solve a tricky puzzle, it feels really satisfying. Some of them don't follow the expected path you first locked onto, so figuring out the right deviation seems like you've done something clever, Aha! I tried something different, and it worked. I'm so brilliant.”
🌟 Although fairly basic, I thought the game's mechanics were done very well.
🌟 I suppose there's enough latitude from the story for there to be a sequel.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ There isn't a level select screen (until you beat the game), or an indicator anywhere showing what level you're on. Having a better semblance about your progress would be nice, such as Chapter 2, Level 3.
❌ The difficulty can fluctuate quite a bit, just on the basis of what kind of puzzles these are. Some are real brain stumpers, while others play like a cake walk.
❌ Its asking price is rather unreasonable. $18.99 is mighty steep for about a two hour puzzle game.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 If the route you keep trying isn't working, change which shape you're trying to place into its slot first. Doing so often led me to the unexpected yet correct solution.
🔍 Since any given puzzle isn't too large, eventually you will brute force an answer from trying all the wrong possibilities first. You may or may not skip a few squares.
🔍 Try keeping in mind the route you have to take to reach the exit. Sometimes working backwards is easier.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
If the game had more content and polish in the presentation, I'd give it a higher rating. There's no way I can recommend picking SAP up for even 50% off though, because it doesn't have nearly enough content for anyone to spend more than $5 for it. Solving the puzzles made for a satisfying experience, and I enjoyed the not so serious plot, but it could use more refinement and polish. Assuming you can find a good deal for this title, I would recommend it as a puzzle game, but don't be a sap and fall for a super villain's evil scheme. In case it's not obvious, that is intended as a joke, not a serious complaint about the developer.
[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote]
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - SAP is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
