Nelson Tethers is the lead agent (or, indeed, the only agent) in the U.S. Department of Puzzle Research, and has been called upon to solve the mystery of the small town of Scoggins. The town´s eraser factory has been locked down and the US President himself is going to be without his favourite stationery item unless Agent Tethers can save the day!

I´m something of an indie game buff, and the initial idea of this title tickled me. Following the lead of the infamous Professor Layton series, Puzzle Agent uses a unique hand drawn style (taken from Graham Annable´s Grickle comic strip) to tell the tale of a small time FBI agent´s adventures in a remote village full of mystery. By talking to the residents and solving tricky puzzles along the way, Agent Tethers unravels a town full of strange behaviour and superstition, much like Nintendo´s famed professor.

Presentation

Visually, PA is a bit of a mixed bag. Crudely drawn characters and locations are the order of the day here, and although it gives everything a clear sheen, some close-up moments expose the rough edges of the visual style, to the detriment of the intended effect. However, the overall picture works: whilst being miles away from the beauty of Layton or other indie titles of note, PA defines itself with its harshness, and actually effectively portrays the tiny town of Scoggins and its denizens. The audio work is also simple yet effective: the speech is well directed, and the simple background music is basic and forgettable (but in a nice way!).

But games like these are judged in two main areas: the story and the puzzles. After all, what kind of puzzle-adventure is any good without either of these areas standing up to close scrutiny?

The Story

The tale starts well, and the eccentric small-town people really come into their own. There are elements of Twin Peaks levels of surreal behaviour amongst some of the townsfolk, and everyone quickly offers motives and suspicions for your agent to act upon. However, shortly into the tale, cracks begin to appear in the telling: too many loose ends are left untied, and there is a real lack of explanation behind many occurrences. For example, one poor fellow is left frozen by a lake with no resolution or explanation, and the actual culprits behind the main crime are never explained or given a satisfactory conclusion.

The end of the game was so abrupt, I wondered if it was a joke: many areas on my map had not been visited, no one was actually held accountable for anything, and the lack of any kind of "wrap-up" was startling. Had the game been part one of a series (like most other Telltale titles), I could understand, but the game is being touted as a one-off, and therefore is very poorly managed.

The Puzzles

The puzzles, are also a mixed bag: some are so simple as to be ridiculous, whereas others do a terrible job of explaining what it is you are trying to achieve. I could easily believe that the game was written in Swedish and then badly translated, as sometimes the most key pieces of information are only discovered by trial-and-error, which is a frustrating way to play a puzzle based game.

Final Word

In effect, we have a title that only feels like half a game: after setting up a intriguing premise, atmosphere and characters, we end up with a mystery with no resolution or depth. Key plot points vanish without explanation, and at no point are anybody´s motives scrutinised or accounted for. When the plot gets going, the game has some genuinely creepy moments: crazed villagers and shadowy woods send a chill down the spine, especially during some of the later moments (just wait until you enter the lodge!). This falls by the wayside, though, when the plot suddenly lurches forward without any continuity points, leaving the player with a disjointed experience that ends up ultimately hollow.

So, is it worth a purchase? Well, when Steam have an offer on for a couple of dollars, of course it is. It is at times quite rewarding, and has its moments of enjoyment. The two or three hours you  get can be a frustrating affair overall. Had the developers taken a little longer to flesh out the narrative, this could have been a contender for a top indie gem.

Genre: Puzzle

Platform: PC

Developed by: Telltale Games

Published by: Telltale Games