Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is, probably, one of the best surprises to hit the Appstore this year. I knew nothing about this game, but as soon as I saw it on the Appstore, I understood it would be one of those special games you will mention to your friends.
So what is Agent A? Well, if you are familiar with "escape room" style of games, you already know what to expect here. We have been previously graced by amazing games in this category, games such as The Room series and Escape From Hellevator, amazing games that fully utilise the capabilities of the iDevices and I can gladly say that Agent A is a fantastic addition to that awesome category.
Your task is simple; catch and apprehend super secret rogue spy Ruby La Rouge. However this task will not be easy as her home is built like fortress well, if the fortress was a cool 60's style sea view apartment with a furnishing that would make a Feng Shui fanatic tear up due to its perfect simplicity, and where each step you make is hindered by a puzzle you have to solve in order to progress through.
Now on the Appstore, there are a ton of "escape room" games, boring and uninspiring ones with puzzles that don't make any sense, like at all. In Agent A, every puzzle makes sense and is built upon logic, for example, fill a glass with water and use it to quench a fire so you can reach something. I remember only one instance, one puzzle that felt out of this logic wheel, one where you had to insert something into a Yak head, but on second thought I should have seen that coming... the dev is called Yak & Co... nice easter egg guys... :D
One puzzle unlocks the next one and so on. The house is full of switches, objects etc. to smash, push, pull, swipe, rotate etc. Everything is super intuitive too. When you see a key in a keyhole the natural thing to do is sliding the finger in a semi circle trajectory. Or when you see cracked piece of glass the natural thing is tapping it till it breaks. Or when you use a screwdriver to unscrew some screws you automatically know you have to make little circles with your finger. And so on.
The artstyle is exceptional too. I know that there is a name for this style, sharp angles with a minimalist look but I don't know it and I don't want to butcher it. All you have to know is that the game is clean, sexy and a feast for your eyes. The music is a feast too, only for your ears.
So should you play Agent A? A big yes! The puzzle design is smart, creative and very intuitive that when combined with the beautiful atmosphere powered by the low-poly minimalist look plus spy theme, make for an interesting 2 hour long experience. I cannot wait to see #whatsinthecase. Thanks for reading!
