Game Review: Re:Touring

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

We don't often review puzzle games here at A-to-J, but we have quite the interesting one today in the form of Re:Touring. Following an earlier Steam release, it's now coming to all major platforms by way of publisher Sometimes You. Re:Touring is a first-person puzzle experience that features puzzles reliant on color-patterns, and it features a distinctive minimalist look and feel. We're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version today and see if this is a game that pulls off its puzzle mechanics correctly, or if it's one that you're going to want to stay away from. Enough with the intros, let's get right into it!

Our journey begins!

If only the puzzles stayed this simple...

You wouldn't think that a puzzle game like this would have a story, but it does. It admittedly may not be the most engrossing tale, but I was surprised by how invested I was in it by the end of the game. In between each of the game's puzzles are waiting areas that house books, record players, Zen gardens, museum-like exhibitions, and notes. It's these seemingly random items that reveal the story slowly over time. I won't give away the bigger details in hopes of keeping away from potential spoilers, but I will touch upon some key points. The story puts you into the role of a nameless protagonist sometime in our future who is exploring the abandoned Luoni Energy Competence Center. While all this seems like harmless urban exploration, and indeed it might be, you eventually learn the rather dark history of the Luoni Energy Company, and why this facility was eventually abandoned. Though you eventually uncover a lot about Luoni itself, you never learn too much about the character you're playing as. Also, don't expect anything to be Umbrella Corp level of craziness, where zombified employees attack you by the end of your journey, but I have that I was shocked by how things fully wrapped themselves up in the end. I've actually complained about games in the past that go for atmospheric storytelling while wanting to tell a story that isn't suited to that method. Re:Touring not only has a story that is able to be told in these small, mostly optional, snippets, but I also think that it's a shining example of how one can pull off this form of storytelling successfully. I was left largely impressed by the story, but it's also one that you can simply ignore if you want to go straight for the puzzles.

Get used to these computers!

Yeah, this is as crazy as it looks.

Speaking of puzzles, let's cover the actual gameplay of Re:Touring. Just about every puzzle in the game requires you to use a computer that lights up a series of five colored panels. Each of these five panels can be red, blue, or orange, and there are some palette options you can choose from for colorblind players. You're often given a target pattern to hit and have to adjust the computer so that it changes each panel to the correct sequence. This sounds like a very simple puzzle mechanic, but the way the computer is set up makes some of the puzzles feel like full game challenges. While early puzzles will require something simple like commanding the computer to change all red panels to blue, later sequences will see you input a series of commands that will have the computer go back and forth across the sequence, changing several panels back and forth with each move. It's wild how the solution can seem so simple once you're done, but you'll often have dozens of failed attempts before you found the correct one. I'll cover the added mechanics in a bit, but this is how much of the game progresses. You have a total of 26 puzzles, and you'll be using the computer (or sometimes a series of them) to open the pathway to the next room where you do it all again. The color pattern computer mechanic I feel is too complicated to explain in writing, but it actually becomes intuitive when you're playing the game. Re:Touring does a good job of introducing new mechanics one at a time, never letting you feel totally overwhelmed. Each puzzle room also has a cube chair you sit at to look up hints if you're stuck. These hints come in a series that gets reveal far more about the solution the more you continue through them. Though I never went so far in the hint system that it solved the puzzle for me, it's my understanding that you can do exactly that if any single puzzle feels like it's too much. I don't want to sound like I'm knocking a small indie title, but I found myself repeatedly surprised regarding how perfectly balanced the puzzles were. There was a lot of work put into each puzzle, and players will never feel like they were given a rather small experience at just 26 puzzles.

While the five-panel color pattern mechanic is core to all of the game's puzzles, there are several other mechanics you'll have to deal with. First off there are normal switches that are most often used to open doors or raise elevators. These are pretty much self-explanatory, with the only special case being that they sometimes need power to be supplied to them, and that's usually done with the panel system. Speaking of which, the use of multiple color panels and computers is often a factor as well. Many puzzles will require to match multiple panels one after another, make it so that the computer changes from one correct sequence to the next quickly, or simply put you in a second sub-area that has its own separate computer and panel system. I already mentioned elevators earlier, but there are also moving platforms you have to deal with too. These create an odd platforming mechanic that sees you respawn if you fall into the water the moving platforms are on top of. While you don't have to worry about anything Super Mario-esque here, it is an odd quirk in the gameplay that you'll have to get used to. The only other main mechanic to discuss has to be energy beams and batteries. Batteries come in two types, those that power something continuously, and those that need to be recharged. The latter of which have to get their power from the aforementioned energy beams, but these beams can also be used to power things like doors, elevators, or platforms with either type of battery. Batteries are also the only items you'll ever have to pick up and move, and that's a good thing because this mechanic reveals how limited the controls can be. The best puzzles use all the mechanics at once, and even flip the tables a bit when it comes to doing things in a certain expected way. For example, you'll be used to seeing the elevators operate vertically, but horizontal versions exist too that do things like push batteries, or even the player, off of ledges. It's actually the latter bit that brings me to the final elements of some puzzles: the player themselves. While there aren't a lot of puzzles that require the player to move quickly or accurately, some do impose time limits and limited platforming challenges. I will admit that these were often my least favorite type of puzzle, but I did appreciate the variety they represented.

I need me some Snail Cola!

Damn smart phones!

Since we covered gameplay pretty well, let's move onto the overall presentation and talk about the visuals and sound. I guess I'll cover sound first since I have the least to say about it. It took me a long time to realize that there was sometimes music in Re:Touring at all since it largely fades into the background. There are a few record players that play some jazzy little numbers, but you'll be working in near silence for the most part. That said, the game is definitely going for a minimalist atmosphere and the game's silence lends well to that. There are even in-game references to ASMR that make me think that the near-silent gameplay was totally intentional. To that end I have to admit that it worked, even if I may have sometimes wished for a bit more audio stimulation from time to time. The minimalist atmosphere permeates the visuals as well, but there are some little touches to the world that I really appreciated. Each room in between the puzzles having their own feel to them was cool, as were the odd additions like Snail Cola, and all the books with wacky titles. If the soundtrack did a good job embracing minimalism, then the visuals simply hit it out of the park. There is nothing here that is going to impress, but the world looks interesting, and the slightly ominous feeling of being in an abandoned facility really work. My only big complaint visually has to be the key art is uses for promotional purposes. This game originally released on Steam last year and had a completely different banner image than the one it uses now. This new console release has an image that features a random anime girl that has nothing to do with the game. (Yes, the picture I'm describing is the one that heads this review.) She was clearly an addition meant to drum up more sales for those expecting her to be playable, but even if that is what the developers had in mind for their player character, you don't see her anywhere else but in that one image. Normally I'd let this slide, but it just feels so out of place compared to everything else. Nothing in the game remotely looks like that and I wish the key art matched what the game really has to offer. It's almost as if the developer/publisher were embarrassed by the simple look of the game, even though I think that it looks great for what it is.

I'll be the first to admit that Re:Touring isn't exactly a long game, but it IS a very challenging one. I went into it knowing that it only had 26 puzzles and figured that I could beat it in an hour or two. I don't think I've been so wrong in a long while. It eventually took me several hard fought hours, and more than a few in-game clues to complete it. I was impressed that the puzzles were as perfectly crafted as they were challenging. I was totally engaged my entire time playing, and basically completed it in two marathon sessions that were only broken up by literal sleep. I'm not sure exactly how long it took me to complete it, but it was about 5+ hours and I have to say that I don't think of myself as the strongest puzzle game player. I'm sure there are some players who will forego all hints and keep at the game, and if you do that you're possibly looking at a 3-10 hour experience, largely dependent on skill. There are some puzzles that you'll complete in one go, and some that will have you stumped for so long that you'll need to take a break to properly be able to process them. In short, this is a great puzzle game that gives players a great sense of accomplishment for clearing its challenges. At just $9.99 I have to say that it's more than worth the price of admission, even though I'm not sure how replayable it would be after you've completed it. That said, there were a couple puzzles that I got through with a lot of clues and determination, so part of me wants to revisit those puzzles to see if I can more properly understand how they work. There were also a few story-related items I missed because I didn't initially realize that things like the exhibits could be clicked on to get an additional line or two from your avatar. Thankfully the game has a system where you can jump to any completed puzzle, so I will probably go back to it eventually to get to all those things I want to complete properly. Either way, I'm sure that puzzle game players will more than get their money's worth here.

Sometimes I see a puzzle and just want to cry.

I did it!

If you're a fan of puzzle games, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Re:Touring. It's a great game that will easily fill a weekend full of mind-bending puzzling fun. The challenge is spot-on for players of all skill levels, and the deceptively simple mechanics are easy to pick up and learn, but extremely difficult to master. The hint system also ensures that no players will be leaving the game in frustration. Actually, I take back what I said earlier and say that this is a game that players everywhere should pick up, no matter their genre preferences. It's really that good, and I can't wait to see what the developers come up with next. Until then, grab Re:Touring on whatever platform you can and get to solving the mysteries of the Luoni Energy Company!

Check Out Re:Touring on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/re-touring-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: B
Music/Sound: B
Value: A

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ A surprisingly deep puzzle game that ramps up difficulty at a great pace.
+ The sheer creativity of the puzzles really boggles the mind.
+ This is a fine example of atmospheric storytelling done right.
+ Comes complete with a hint system to help those that might be stuck.
+ Though some puzzles can be insanely difficult, the sense of accomplishment for clearing them is indescribable.
+ There are a lot of audio and visual accessibility options that provide things like different color palates and on-screen audio descriptions for those that need them.

Cons:
- Not much to look at in the way of graphics, and the random anime girl in the banner image is extremely out of place and misleading.
- Though the mostly ambient soundtrack goes with the game's general vibe, I found myself occasionally wanting more in the audio department.
- Because the story is told mostly through observation, and the game doesn't allow backtracking, it can be easy to miss what's actually going on.
- The time based puzzles can sometimes make it feel a bit too much like an action game at times.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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I want to just hit here and relax.

#ReTouringConsoles