Game Review: Instants

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

I never thought that I'd ever review a game that can be described as a scrapbook simulator, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Instants is probably not what one would first think of when they hear "_____ simulator", but it is a game that places scrapbooking front and center. It's also something of a cozy puzzle game, but we'll get to that in due course. It's out now on PC and the Nintendo Switch, and we're going to be taking a look at the Switch version here. There really isn't any need for further intro, so let's dive right in!

While Instants does have a story, it's not one that's told in a traditional manner, nor is it a narrative one must follow to enjoy the game. Each chapter tasks the player with putting together a scrapbook for a member of your family who sends you a letter and series of photos in a big envelope. Even though you're given a lot of free reign when it comes to creating these scrapbooks, there is one rule you must follow. No matter what else you do, all photos must be placed into chronological order. Once in order, they'll tell a story that's important to the family member that asked you for the favor in the first place. The scrapbooks can be made up of pictures from the first Christmas with the family, from one's time at school until their graduation, from a fun vacation that everyone has fond memories of, from the marriage that would eventually culminate in your birth, or any other similar life event that one would want to encapsulate for many years to come. You're only given a basic outline of the event you're memorializing, but the photos themselves fill in any holes in the tale. The old adage regarding a picture being worth a thousand words holds very true here, as you'll come to learn all about this family through their photos.

I sort of already described what the core gameplay loop is already, but let me dive into it a bit deeper. Instants is separated into several scrapbook-making chapters, with each opening with that envelope containing the letter and photos I mentioned earlier. Early scrapbooks will be easy to put together via context clues, but others will require you to do a bit more investigation. Examining a photo will tell you who is in it, and flipping some of them over will reveal notes and messages. More complicated scrapbooks will require you to make use of all the clues available to you, and will sometimes still require a bit of trial and error to figure out. Thankfully there are color coded arrows that show you if you're placement is correct or not, so you can always brute force things via trial and error if you're having trouble figuring out the order. A chime usually goes off to indicate that you're doing well so far, and you continue on like this until the album is complete. You can then close it and move on to the next chapter, or you can decorate each of the scrapbook's pages in whatever way you feel like. Simply moving on to the next scrapbook may be tempting, but I think that most of the game's fun is had in the decorating.

The term "cozy" gets thrown around a lot in gaming today, but Instants truly embodies that term like no other game I've seen. Every aspect of the game from the visuals to the music give off a light-hearted vibe, and the atmosphere is such that you'll never feel stressed or uneasy while going about your tasks. Your work area is colorful, bright, and you're joined by your feline friend at all times. Light jazz plays through your tape deck also on the desk, and you have an infinite supply of cookies and tea to get you through your day's work. You can even pet the cat, change the music, and refill your snacks and drink whenever you want. There are no timers to contend with, and your work isn't rated or judged in any way. You can arrange photos however you wish (As long as they're in chronological order of course.), and you can decorate as much or as little as you see fit. You have stickers that you can place, washi tape to create borders and stripes, backgrounds to place on the pages themselves, and text and other custom elements too. Most of these decorations can be moved, re-sized, and even re-colored after they've are placed, giving you even more decorating options. There's no right or wrong way to complete your scrapbook, and you can move on whenever you want.

Even though I have mostly positive things to say about Instants' gameplay and overall design, there are a couple issues I want to discuss before moving on. My biggest gripe with the game is the fact that there isn't a high contrast color mode, so I struggled in seeing what color the arrows were between the photos. I could hardly tell the orange arrows from the red, and the arrows themselves are also quite small in Handheld Mode. Playing in Handheld Mode was my preferred way to play this game, but I had to switch to Docked in order to get through it. That issue aside, I found plenty of issues with the game's controls. It's clear that this game was created with PC controls in mind, as it can be quite clunky on the Nintendo Switch. The cursor always felt too slow, and I never got used to what button did what. I found myself constantly picking up photos that I wanted to flip over, and took to just tossing photos into the void outside the scrapbook to get rid of them since I never could remember the 'proper" way to send them back to the envelope. I can't even say that I eventually got used to them, since I was still having trouble right up until finishing the game. Neither of the issues I mentioned are deal breakers by any means, but I do hope that a future update at least addresses the color issue.

Instants can either be a really long game, or a rather short one depending on how you choose to play it. If you just place the photos down in the correct order and move on to the next chapter, you'll be done with the game in a few hours at most. You'll also miss most of what makes this game so special, so I don't suggest actually doing that. Decorating is where the true fun is at, and it's a blast even for those who probably wouldn't bother with scrapbooking in the IRL. I'm not artistic in the least, but I spent far more time decorating than I care to admit. I played around with text and speech bubbles, made things more than a little silly, and even started going crazy with stickers and washi tape until I completely lost sight of my original vision. It may have been messy, but it was my creation, and I loved each and every scrapbook I finished. I also liked that you're given new sets of decorating tools for each new chapter, as well as coins that can be used to unlock different bits for you to place around your work station. You can change the snack found on your cookie plate, the drink in your cup, and even the color of your tape deck. This gave me something to work towards, even though the differences between each interchangeable item are purely cosmetic. One can easily sink well over a dozen hours into this game when playing it as intended, and even more if you're a dedicated scrapbook designer. Considering that the game comes in at a very reasonable $11.99, picking it up almost seems like a no-brainer.

I think it's rather obvious that I give Instants the fullest of recommendations. It has a few issues with controls, and those who suffer from colorblindness might have issues with the color-coded arrows, but its pros far outweigh its cons. It's fun, it's charming, it's endearing, and even mildly challenging at times. It's part puzzle game, part decorating tool, and embodies the term "cozy" in a way that other games can only dream of. I can't help but wonder if some players are better off picking it up on PC, but it isn't bad on the Nintendo Switch either. Grab it on whatever platform you can, and be sure to take your time with each scrapbook. On that note, I'll be off and I'll see you in the next one!

Check Out Instants on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/instants-switch/

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

Overall: B+

Pros:
+ A fun puzzle game that fully embodied the term "cozy".
+ Story and plot are delivered perfectly via the photos themselves rather than via text or cutscenes.
+ Has a soundtrack that players will want to rip and put on in the background for just about every task.
+ Players can blast through the game quickly, or take their time decorating. There's no timers, ratings, or anything to get in the way of simply enjoying the game.
+ Ever-expanding decorating options, interchangeable work area items that are unlocked via playing, and more, mean that this game will have something for everyone.
+ You can pet the cat!

Cons:
- I personally found it hard see the differences between the arrow colors. This game could really use a high contrast color mode.
- The controls are a bit wonky on consoles. This is clearly a PC game first.
- Though the game is cozy, cute, and fun, it might not appeal to all players. Those looking for structured, more challenging, gameplay might not find this as enjoyable as I did.

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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Let's Go!!!