Telltale Games has put together a great indie game, even if it is a pilot game from their development studio. Thanks to the collaboration from animator Graham Annable, this game has a great retro feel to it. You are playing as Agent Nelson Tethers of the U.S. Department of Puzzle Research, a division of the FBI, in a situation where the company that makes the erasers for the White House had an accident. At the heart of the problem is a missing person, and there are strange things happening in the town of Scoggins that will keep you on your toes.
The game will definitely draw you in with its great audio, thanks to voice-overs, nature sound effects, and music. The game is a great mix of story and puzzles, thrown together in a delightful synchronization. The audio adds appeal to all the visuals, and each voice over for the characters are matched perfectly.
Audio aside, the visuals of the game are not made to be of the highest quality, or for high-end graphic cards, but they provide a great feel to the game. While playing the game you will feel that you are watching a well made comic-strip that incorporates audio, and interactive puzzles to figure out the mystery at the Scoggins Eraser Co. The visuals hide the details in the environment well, and will get you to move about the environment with your mouse to locate them.
There used to be an embeded media player here, but it doesn't work anymore. We blame the Tumbeasts.
The puzzles themselves are not too difficult, but they do provide a sufficient amount of challenge without taking away the depth of the story, or the fun. The game is addictive to the point where you wish to continue to gain access to more puzzles and more of the storyline.
The controls for the game are very simple. The mouse will be your only tool to keep moving through the game. Utilizing your mouse pointer you will click around the screen to locate items that will aid you in solving puzzles, but will also provide interaction with characters and the environment.
The game is great overall, especially for the first game brought to us by Telltale Games. The company should feel proud about bringing together a great game without having to overcharge for it, and/or having to use a high-end gaming computer. The use of ingenuity, retro visuals, and medium challenging puzzles has brought the gaming community a great game that should be played by everyone from the ages of 14 and up.
