JENNAFER NORRIS·MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2019·
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Eshop)
Release Date: Aug 29, 2019
No. of Players: 1 Player
File Size: 470 MB
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Point and Click
Price: $14.99
Publisher: YAK
Developer: YAK
First off, I’d like to thank YAK for the review code that makes this review possible.
Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is a Point and Click Puzzle Adventure game. In Agent A, you play as “Agent A”, a secret agent who is the best of the best in the industry of this world, who over five chapters tries to catch the infamous villain, Ruby La Rouge, super spy. You have no shortage of puzzles to try and solve over the course of the five chapters, each one more tricky than the last that keep you thinking until the very end.
The overall look of the game has been inspired by 1960’s art but, with a plethora of super futuristic gizmos and gadgets that you have the pleasure of interacting with. The mashup of both futuristic and retro stylings make this game an absolute joy to look at as well as play. The classic Point and Click styling of this game is reminiscent of the old JumpStart educational games for the computer from the late 90’s to early 2000’s but, all grown up and definitely more mature.
The gameplay is really intriguing and always keeps you guessing. All the puzzles seem to have only one correct solution but, most of the puzzles, if not all, let you keep guessing without any punishments for wrong answers unlike other similar games. That factor does lessen the difficulty but, really lessens the frustration as well. If you are really good at games like the Professor Layton series, you could run through this game pretty quickly so, that would be something to keep in mind.
The mastermind behind the puzzles in this game is Ruby La Rouge the spy who you are trying to track down that always seems to be a couple steps ahead of you. Your main objective of the game is to catch Ruby for her crimes against your fellow agents as well as, to prevent her from killing your character, Agent A. You can make the game as short or long as you’d like to based on how good you are at puzzle solving. I did get stuck a couple of times but, there are walkthroughs available online if you need them.
My overall experience with this game was definitely a pleasant one. The graphics are both futuristic and retro at the same time which meshes beautifully. It’s a Point and Click Puzzler that is at least mildly reminiscent of the old JumpStart computer games (Point and Click Aspect) and the Professor Layton series (Puzzler Aspect), which to me was a beautiful nod to my childhood gaming experiences. The storyline is interesting and has a few twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next piece of the story to come together. My only issue that I have with the game is the length. For me the game was only five hours long and I felt like I took my time with it. I easily could have finished it in 2.5-3 hours if I hadn’t taken my time or without breaks. Personally, I feel like $14.99 is too high of a price point for a game that is so short but, it’s definitely worth a play if you can get it on sale for a decent price.
With all that in mind, I give the game an 8/10 overall score. I took off one point for length and one point off for price point. I feel like an $8-$10 price point would be more ideal for the length of the game. It’s honestly a really good game and I definitely recommend, I’d just wait for a sale before I would dive in.
Review By: Jenn N.
