Backpack Boy

[b]8.5/10[/b] Use light to reveal a hidden world as you help a boy not die in an abandoned tundra outpost. Why is a boy in the middle of the arctic? Don’t know. Is the boy’s backpack special? No. Is the game fun as hell? YES! [b]What is it:[/b] First, what it is not. It is not a game about a boy with a magical backpack where he can pull any kind of item out to solve puzzles a la Doraemon. The backpack starts and ends with the title. I think you may drop the backpack a couple times during the game. That's about it. Now what it is. An incredibly fun yet very short game about a boy (although too much of his body is covered up by a snow suit to confirm whether he is actually a boy and not a man masquerading in boy-fashion) who uses multiple light sources to reveal hidden structures that he uses to traverse chasms, navigate derelict buildings and ultimately escape the jaws of death. Wherever the light shines, time is erased and rusted and crumbling locations are returned to their former glory, allowing the “boy” to gain access to pathways and objects of a once active laboratory to figure out what happened. The main gimmick of this puzzle game also functions as its story-telling de…

[h1]Change the present with the light[/h1] [i]Special thanks to the development team for providing a review copy of the game. My thoughts and rating remain entirely unbiased.[/i] [h2]Story:[/h2] During an ordinary trek, our protagonist stumbles upon an abandoned, mysterious facility. What begins as a routine hike quickly shifts when you discover a peculiar flashlight capable of shifting the world and time around you. Rather than overwhelming the player with wall-of-text exposition, the narrative relies on environmental storytelling and steady exploration to uncover what was left behind. [h2]Game Mechanics:[/h2] At its core, the game revolves around the flashlight mechanic: wherever the light lands, it reveals and restores the past. You can cross collapsed bridges by illuminating their intact historical counterparts, or bypass blocked corridors by using past layouts. The puzzles are well-balanced, neither frustratingly tedious nor insultingly basic. For moments when you do get stuck, player-friendly features like "Show a hint" and "Skip the level" keep frustration at zero. It is a relaxing 3 to 4-hour puzzle-platforming run you can easily complete in one sitting with a hot cup of…

Solid indie puzzle platformer, seems to inspire itself on giants like Portal. But instead of space you mess with time. Honestly, good game. A few janky puzzles, but very few and far between and nothing impossible or too precise. Streamed the whole game, was a casual 3h experience, taking my time and testing things out (also getting anxious and making a lot of mistakes because of that) and did the last achievements few to get 100% while offline. Story is well told through visual cues and effectivelly no text dialog, minor bugs found when I'm not giving the game time to load some menus. Nothing game breaking and all my fault anyway. Mostly not as fast paced as the trailer makes it look, usually a casual stroll through some puzzles. Good recomendation and deserving of you trying it out.

Enjoyable, short game

Loved the art style and the atmosphere. It was a great mix of puzzle and platformer. Enjoyed it!

Some cool puzzle concepts. Doesn't get too evil; keeps it nice and short.