Some games are easy to write a review about. Even story based games that have a ton of features can allow you to get a lot down and the word count up. Can you tell I am padding already? Well that’s because this is a review for The Almost Gone and I am very light on content.
Listen, it isn’t a bad game, that’s not why we are light on content. It is because like me, I want you to go in completely blind and experience this game to its fullest. Just go ahead and get the game.
I am going to completely ignore the story side of The Almost Gone, because to even touch on it a little will ruin the game. A game that is all about discovery as you progress. I really want to talk about it, because it had a huge effect on me, but no… I must not ruin it for you.
So let me tell you a bit about how the game plays. You essentially have a point and click puzzle game set within a series of diorama based environment. You know the drill here, find the clues, piece them together and use them to move forward.
There is wonderful simplicity to things here and as someone who has struggled with point and click games before, this one just felt like it was drawing me in the whole time. That likely comes from the smaller minimalistic scenes you are presented with. There is nothing to overly complicate any particular area.
Now that isn’t to say you won’t be doing a lot of to and from as you logically look for ways to progress, that is all there but the minimalism makes sure everything that has a purpose is easy enough to spot without every being frustrating.
It’s not easy as such, but The Almost Gone isn’t designed to trick you and stump you. Instead it has been designed to tell a story and one that relies on some hard emotions. Adding frustratingly difficult puzzles would take away from the desired effect. The balance here is spot on.
Happy Volcano and Playdigious have created a very special game and one that deserves all the credit in the world. Once again a showcase of what can be done on the Indie scene with a clear idea and spot on execution. Less is more is never truer than it is in The Almost Gone.
There is some scope for replaying, but as I always feel with games like this, that have a story with impact. It should be a one and done game. It is short, it hits all the right emotional buttons and it looks great too. The Almost Gone is a game that stays for a short while but will live with you for a very long time.
