Roterra is a charming game. It’s also a hard one to critique, because it’s more than the sum of its parts. The narrative, while present, is honestly pretty vaguely presented; you’ll only know the fantasy tale it’s based upon if you watched our interview with the project lead. It’s not that the story is hard to understand – it’s a very cute puppet show approach – but it doesn’t offer much context or as clear stakes as it could with just a dash of text or narration.
[sc name=”quote” text=”The puzzles are ingenious, but sometimes the controls just aren’t quite where they need to be.”]
It’s got a beautiful papercraft aesthetic like out of child’s picture book. Everything looks so whimsical that you can’t help but be tickled by the animations on display; however, the lighting could be better, leading to some levels feeling a bit flat. The sound design also varies in quality, carrying a charming whimsy that sadly doesn’t really evolve that much, falling into repetition.
[sc name=”quote” text=”It’s got a beautiful papercraft aesthetic like out of child’s picture book.”]
The puzzles are ingenious, but sometimes the controls just aren’t quite where they need to be. Forced camera angles can make certain solutions harder to suss out, or leave vital blocks hard to reach. Nothing’s unbeatable, yet I can’t help but wonder if the game would benefit from some sort of camera or an AR mode where you might physically peer around the environment.
[sc name=”quote” text=”It’s also a hard one to critique, because it’s more than the sum of its parts.”]
Yet, I totally see why people fell head over heels for it. Roterra clicks when you least expect it, suddenly presenting some new elaborate scenario that demonstrates the depth of such simply mechanics. The ah-ha moments you experience are worth not spoiling, and Roterra‘s ever-sliding world is one I’d like to see explored again… just with a bit more polish next time.
[review pros=”A genuinely refreshing puzzler with some marvelous block-shifting brain-teasers.” cons=”Quality of life improvements could be made. Camera perspective can hinder some puzzles.” score=7.5]
[appbox appstore id1386408490]
