Short and sweet can perfectly summarize my experience within Papetura. It proved to me once more, that we never truly grow up. There's a child at heart in most of us and they are yearning for the long lost innocence & simplicity regarding the joy of discovering new things daily.

Unravel also made me feel like that and it's sharing the distinct features of cleverly using particular childhood themes and toy materials while conveying the storyline. Wool yarn is now replaced by titular paper mache.

The lighting plays a crucial role as well. Being the developer / publisher's first Steam project, I am glad they focused on something original instead of trying to adapt the look or gameplay of similar point & click titles.

Petums' debut is clearly a labour of love just when you realize how much time was spent on recreating those levels by hand before turning them into a digital format. Do not rush it, just stop and admire the inherent creativity of simple materials and ideas reaching the right hands and minds.

Entirely abstract as it may be, Papetura's story is heart-warming and there could be some relatable themes in there, it's up to the players to interpret them. Definitely more than Good versus Evil, shining Light against the ever-consuming Darkness.

Seeds and keys, are powerful symbols in their own right. You will not find it hard to connect with the abstract elements in Papetura since they do not contain any malignant undertones. Actions will speak lounder than words, since there's no dialogue whatsoever.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2676223626

With the puzzles being an integral part of the story, you can't judge them separately. They won't hold your hand, yet won't stress you either. The risk of failing has been taken out of the equation. All it takes is patience, really. It is strange not being able to label the game world but at least it allows players to make up their own mind in regards to character motivations.

Adults overthink it too much, I'm sure the younger audience won't be bothered by the lack of context at any given point. Since there are no puns, innuendos or clearly depicted violence, I can safely assume that Papetura is a game for all ages.

Built with the help of the Unity Engine, no one will be able to complain about any usage of asset packs in Papetura since the entire project was likely first conceived on actual paper models before being adapted into the video game before us.

Aforementioned paper mache mixed with origami-like elements that also employ shadows and light sources in a similar manner to LIMBO or INSIDE. Overall, the effects are perfectly animated, the motion is fluid and there wasn't a single instance of technical error I could notice.

I do have a minor gripe with the game's permanent reliance on chromatic aberration, since I usually disable this option alongside motion blur as soon as booting up a title. It's still a small inconvenience and it didn't deter me from capturing as many screenshots as I wanted in Papetura.

It dispenses with any HUD components and its set piece locations are quite elaborate. Beautiful even in that monochrome filter that's more akin to sepia. A flawless performance across the board.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2677860823

The sound department is suffering in silence, one might say. I didn't really mind the lack of voice acting or the discreet soundtrack in-sync with the various level sections you can explore at your own pace. Dialogue bubbles with images are a universal method of communication after all.

Fits Papetura's themes just fine. Smooth instrumentals are pretty much the only subgenre that click here if you're looking for a custom soundtrack. The OST is being sold separately along with the game's artbook as a DLC pack.

Linear level design with minimal backtracking. And just as advertised, it can probably be finished in under two hours, though I obviously took my time to examine every nook and cranny within Papetura. Be aware that there's no actual replay value in the form of collectible hunting or side quests. All the character interactions are crucial for moving the story forward.

From certain fetch quests to puzzle sections or mini games involving the manipulation of the environment, they are playing out in a strict order which sadly, doesn't allow future revisiting unless you restart your entire playthrough. You can easily gain 100% of the game's Steam Achievements and that's precisely what I did.

Even without any real risk of losing progress, there are plenty of checkpoints if for some reason you wish to take a break from this experience that's length-wise more cinematic that what poses for 2022 cinematography. Perhaps you will be compelled to replay the game at a later date, introduce it to someone else and so forth. It's never a finite story if it was memorable enough for you.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2677860880

All I can say next is how much I'd like to try out a sequel or something similar in terms of Papetura's visuals. Clearly there's a lot of hard work in manually designing such assets. I hope Petums will continue down this path of labour intensive originality.

Steam and the independent gaming scene direly need more light-hearted adventures to counterbalance the daily downpour of one digital massacre after another. If the current pricing is out of your reach, wait for a Steam Sale. Be sure to pick Papetura at some point and allow it to share its tale. You won't regret it and might even encourage you to start your very own paper mache hobby.

+ Beautiful art style.
+ Relaxing gameplay.
+ Steam Achievements.

- No Steam Trading Cards.
- No replay value.

This article was submitted for Imperial Reviews. Following my Curator Page, will help me keep publishing new reviews as soon as I can. Thank you for your support!