![]() It just peters out after spending quite some time implying something much more interesting was going on.ĭespite this, Tangle Tower is a fun and polished little game. No great show of mastery from the player or grand spectacle, or even a cathartic confrontation. There isn’t really a conclusion, in the conventional sense for a game. It left me wondering if there were multiple endings, and somehow I’d unlocked the sedate one, but no – there’s only one. After one final solve, done in the same manner as the previous ones, the murderer simply explains everything. There’s also no new interesting gameplay here. Tangle Tower joins games like Backbone in its attempts to deliver a twist that doesn’t carry off the previous story. No spoilers, obviously, but it left me unsatisfied. I was utterly convinced something bizarre was going to be revealed, until, after charging through the handful of smaller investigations that make up the second act, I reached the ending. Mutagenic waters in the lake? Local cryptids? A conspiracy to overthrow the wealthier of the two family branches? A sense of genuine overarching weirdness begins to build, reminiscent of the older Professor Layton games. By the end, the mystery of the mansion begins to deepen. This is the longest section and the one most packed with character, and it ends up only being partially related to the murder itself. Throughout the first act, you search the sprawling old building and gather clues, talking to the eight suspects as you go. ![]() The three teenage girls, Fiona, Poppy, and the murdered Freya, were particularly well-fleshed-out, their close friendship strained as they fight over leaving Tangle Tower for good. Fitz, the frighteningly large gardener, is torn between two women his bubbly fiancée, who neglects his gifts of specially-bred flowers, and another who shares his interests. The silent matriarch Flora is respected and loved despite her apparent coldness. ![]() Their relationships are surprisingly complex too. They may be vain at times, or superficial, or evasive, or simply odd, but by and large they’re not bad at heart. Rather refreshingly, most of them are generally decent people. They’re extremely fun to talk to, and uncovering the web of connections, feuds, and friendships linking them all together is a great distraction from the murder. Each of the surviving family members is splendidly characterised with delightful voice acting, musical themes and artwork. Two rival branches of the same aristocratic family, living in opposite towers of a shared mansion. The inhabitants of Tangle Tower are an entertaining bunch. The character moments I did get were good, though. Interrogating the suspects over my suspicions led to some satisfying resolutions, but I found that more often than not the resulting character moments don’t have much to do with the murder in question. These particular puzzles rely on the player having picked up on the clues seen so far to piece together an accusation or explanation. ![]() After gathering enough clues and talking to enough people, suspicions about each suspect are unlocked – little inconsistencies in their stories, or sometimes plain obvious avoidance of a topic. Tangle Tower also adds another variation to the point-and-click theme. Instead, I was free to pay attention to the various clues hidden in the dialogue and setting, and work out what happened to Freya. I wasn’t spending my time learning many new ways to interact with the game. It makes them excellent vehicles for story, and particularly for mystery stories such as this one. This simplicity is no bad thing! The distinct advantage of point-and-click gameplay is how simple and easy-to-master the mechanics are. ![]()
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