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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Puzzle Agent 2 Review by Angie Kibiloski
We all like puzzles, whether they are crosswords, Sudoku, Rubic’s Cubes, or riddles about trains leaving different cities at different speeds. Imagine a whole town completely obsessed with puzzles. So obsessed, in fact, that the continued string of missing persons becomes secondary to their love of the tricky brainteasers. Welcome to Scoggins, Minnesota, home to one eraser factory, one local myth about woodland gnomes called the Hidden People, and more puzzles than can be contained within one video game. Welcome, to Puzzle Agent 2, from Telltale Games! This title is a sequel to last year’s popular original, named (can you guess?)…yep, Puzzle Agent, well done. When we left the story, the mystery at the eraser factory had been officially closed, but with the factory foreman missing, and questions still stewing about the strange Hidden People and the cultish Brotherhood of locals who worships them, Agent Nelson Tethers decides to use his vacation time to wrap up those loose ends. Join Nelson as he goes back to Scoggins, on a chase to finally close the case, before more townsfolk go missing or someone decides that Nelson is a loose end himself. There is a puzzle around every corner, so keep your mind sharp and be ready to solve whatever is thrown your way.
Puzzle agent 2 is a very casual kind of game, with an even blend of plot and puzzle solving, and no immediate danger of either putting Nelson in peril for your actions, or becoming too frustrated with your progress, or lack thereof. Despite the fun crime solving aspect to the plot, and some twists with the various characters you meet, game play feels like a nice stroll from puzzle to puzzle, unhurried and fairly unobstructed. It’s more enjoyable because its laid back, and this lack of stress leaves your mind relaxed enough to do very well when concentrating on the myriad of great puzzles. The puzzles themselves are incredibly varied, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a game with a wider selection of puzzle styles. They are all fairly logic or math based, but the form and presentation of each is unique. As you navigate the plot points of the story, you’ll get to converse with all of the interesting residents of Scoggins, and giggle at their eccentricities. The graphics are cool, in a style kind of like a sketched comic strip, and very charming in their simplicity. The rough pencil lines give the game a unique feel and even create a sense that you are almost working out the problem of the plot on paper as you go along, like making little illustrations to help you solve a puzzle.
Puzzle Agent 2 is another winner from Telltale Games, a company that has always impressed me with its library of hits. The graphics, the characters, and the plot of this game are altogether lovable, and the puzzles are difficult enough to be challenging, but not so hard as to become maddening. You’ll love getting acquainted with the residents of Scoggins, finding out the truth behind the Hidden People, and using your brain power to solve all of the puzzles. Puzzle Agent 2 is available for PC and MAC ($9.99), iPad ($6.99), and iPhone ($4.99). You can download any version you like on the Telltale site, at http://www.telltalegames.com. You needn’t have played the original Puzzle Agent to thoroughly enjoy this title, but if you’d like to find out how Agent Tethers got involved with Scoggins to begin with, the first game is equally delightful. Good luck and happy puzzling!
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