A few years ago, I was blown away by Out of the Blue’s adventure puzzle game Call of the Sea, which combined a mysterious storyline with complex but engaging first-person puzzles. So, needless to say, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the developer’s next title, American Arcadia.
In many ways, American Arcadia is very similar to Call of the Sea. The narrative still revolves around an engaging and engaging mystery that is unraveled as the story progresses, and in many cases you have to solve environmental and physical puzzles from a first-person perspective. However, American Arcadia differs from its predecessor in that it also introduces various platforming levels and sections that only use a 2.5D perspective.
Essentially, this is a game that revolves around two protagonists. On the one hand, you have Trevor, a commoner in the fictional city of Arcadia (which exists as part of a reality show that follows the lives of its unsuspecting residents), who, illustrated by secondary protagonist Angela, is trying to escape control status. Trevor’s parts all use a 2.5D perspective and look to evolve his gameplay by incorporating camera and surveillance mechanics so you can guide Trevor to safety as Angela. If anything, this part of the gameplay reminds me a lot of the Oddworld series. As for Angela, this is where the more typical gameplay we’ve come to expect from Out of the Blue kicks in, as you play through Angela’s eyes and must complete puzzles, including leading an intrusive and suspicious boss Leave your scent behind and walk through a huge building protected by multiple doors that require different keycards to open. This part of the gameplay is almost more like an escape room experience, again, very similar to Call of the Sea.
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While the two different gameplay styles work well, the first-person part is more engaging than the 2.5D part. This is mostly because there’s only limited mechanical depth in the 2.5D portion of the gameplay, and most of that depth comes in the form of stealth, which is an instant failure if you make a mistake. There’s very little room for error in this part of the game, and while this does ensure it keeps a good and exciting pace, having to replay sections of a level because you made a small mistake can be frustrating, initially. Seemingly trivial errors.
As for the first-person puzzle portion, while many levels do lack the nuance and complexity of D19198575424c4a26bf42c26ecccdeb92, that’s about it. . Out of the Blue has a knack for creating interesting puzzles, and while some are a little too simple, most entertain with unique mechanics that keep you on your toes, and some are even real head-scratchers.
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While puzzles and platforming are important, similar to Call of the Sea, American Arcadia really looks to draw you in with its storyline and narrative, and it certainly succeeds here. The story is very much set in 1984, with Trevor escaping an essentially totalitarian country that completely controls its citizens who have no idea how the wider world works. It’s a fairly mature and complex narrative that will keep you questioning what you’re going through.
The way the story is presented is also quite unusual and fresh. As the narrative unfolds you’ll get cutscenes where you’ll see Trevor and Angela recount the events that brought them together, though it’s a fun way to break out of the regular story and foreshadow what’s to come. , but the foreshadowing does take the sting out of some of the main story events. I should also say here that Yuri Lowenthal and Krizia Bahos are excellent as Trevor and Angela and really fit the roles they play in this game.
While I’ve made it clear that the puzzles are much better in first-person, the 2.5D view does have the beat of the 3D view in one key area: visuals. American Arcadia American Arcadia is a very eye-catching game, with a unique and polygon-heavy design that uses lots of colors to stand out, and some of the scenes and scenes Out of the Blue created for this game are, simply put, wallpaper worthy. This is a truly beautiful game and you will spend time admiring the environment during your escape.
Similar to Call of the Sea, D8605f08c1ca4433b97f1dbb1884643fb1dbb1884643fb is a game that doesn’t have much depth beyond the story it wants to weave. Its gameplay and mechanics are entry-level and easy to pick up, there are no collectibles or additional challenges and missions to do, you just witness and play the entire story until the credits roll, which also means the game doesn’t have too much Replayability, if that’s something that bothers you.
But all in all, D3aa7b0d810174719860bd09b0b540365 is a fun and engaging game. Out of the Blue clearly has a talent for storytelling and a knack for creating interesting puzzles, but I can’t help but feel like the game plays a little too safe at times, as many of its mechanics and gameplay systems are so basic. It’s not as hands-on as Call of the Sea, allowing its puzzles to take the experience to new heights, and the side-scrolling 2D platforming pieces in particular can be frustrating rather than entertaining. But if you’ve been looking for a new adventure game to fill your nights as the rush and bustle of 2023 slows down, American Arcadia is definitely worth checking out.