Short but sweet adventure
This is the followup to the original Samorost and also hails from the developers of Machinarium and Botanicula, so if you are familiar with any of these games, you're sure to be right at home here. It's a similarly unusual point-and-click adventure that tells a bizarre tale which is sure to resonate differently according to the player and it turns out to be a short but sweet adventure. The story is split into two parts, the first where aliens come and steal your dog with your task being to rescue it, and the second where you try to get back home. This is no ordinary tale though, and the world you get to explore is haunting and surreal, full of surprising creatures and locations, with your own character being a cute little space gnome. What follows is a traditional point-and-click adventure, where you explore this alien planet, searching for items and solving the numerous inventory- and timing-based puzzles. It's all quite relaxing stuff on the whole, with much enjoyment to be had from simply exploring. The game is certainly visual stunning, with some wonderfully abstract environmental and character design that is unique and eye-catching. The story is compelling with some charming characters and creatures to encounter, but unfortunately the gameplay doesn't quite live up to all this. Some of the puzzles are a bit too mundane to be enjoyable, while there are too many timing ones. The interface is not very intuitive either, while the whole thing is a bit too short for its own good. It's certainly intriguing though and is worth a look if you are a genre fan.
