Love and care shine through with every fold, making Paper Trail feel like a living work of art. Its greatest puzzles take time to solve, but at every turn, there’s reason to forge ahead, and to devote yourself further to its beautiful, pastel world.
Paper Trail had set high expectations, and Newfangled Games meets and exceeds them, combining inspired puzzle design with gorgeous art and atmosphere to leave me very excited for what it turns its talent to next.
Paper Trail is a beautifully crafted adventure that utilises origami techniques to create a unique puzzle game with cosy vibes, stunning illustrations, and a captivating storyline. It had my attention from the first fold to the final destination, and the journey was beautiful.
Paper Trail is a really nice puzzle game, but it didn't quite blow me away. There's nothing wrong with it as such, and the various puzzles should provide a good amount of challenge, but it feels like something is missing.
When you think about it, that’s kind of the inherent pro and con to puzzles, though. Paper Trail benefits a lot from its distinct mechanics, because they help it stand out among a sea of similar games with similar gameplay hooks. But distinct doesn’t always mean approachable, and Paper Trail ends up being quite complex in a lot of ways that could be awesome for one player and super obstructive to another. And that’s fine! The style, which includes the colorful visuals, silly sound direction, genuine writing, and emotive music, all elevate the experience and aid in that sense of approachability. It’s a little too much for me, but I’m mostly a Tetris guy at the end of the day.
SummaryPaper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure about leaving home, set in a foldable, paper world.
You play as Paige, a budding academic, leaving home for the first time to pursue her studies. On the journey, you learn to fold the world, merging two sides to solve puzzles, explore new areas and uncover long-lost secrets.