Tangle Tower
Developer/publisher SFB Games Format iOS (tested), PC, Switch Release Out now
One of the joys of Tangle Tower – and there are many in this vibrant point-and-click murder mystery – is seeing just how much love its developers have for the whodunnit. The nods are subtle, but visible: the way new areas are introduced by name with the clicking of typewriter keys, à la Ace Attorney; the visual presentation of Professor Layton- esque puzzle curios; the lively, flickering animations of its cast of characters recalling Hotel Dusk.
SFB Games understands that Ace Attorney and its ilk – all of which have design flaws aplenty – are enjoyed because of the worlds they weave, and has applied this understanding liberally to its Detective Grimoire followup. A fanciful premise piques curiosity: Freya Fellow is found stabbed next to a painting, the subject of which is holding a knife tipped with her blood. As a painting can’t commit murder, it’s up to you to uncover the truth.
Doing so has you poking around in every glorious nook and cranny of the eponymous locale for clues, and questioning suspects. It is all sumptuously done. Credit must go to Catherine Unger, whose environments lend whimsy to proceedings, from the glow of a pufferfish lampshade to the many-lensed scientific contraptions that invite prods. The idiosyncrasies of her characters, too, sear themselves into the memory. Avian enthusiast Penny Pointer’s movements in flowing sleeves evoke birds’ wings, while rival gumshoe Hawkshaw’s defensive neck-crick and narrowing eyes are suitably intimidating.
A chibi overworld affords a welcome degree of freedom as to where, and what, you investigate next – likewise, the process of pumping witnesses for facts. Where other whodunnits ask players to simply present the correct piece of evidence, Tangle Tower encourages deduction through a system where you snap a theory together by selecting evidential statements. Without a fail state, it doesn’t do enough to stop the brute-force approach, but feels like an improvement nonetheless. As do the puzzles, which although not as challenging as Layton’s brainteasers feel far less incongruous, linked directly to the object you’ve just interacted with.
Sharp, funny writing is elevated by superb voice acting, and unique dialogue for every item and the character to whom it’s presented ensures we spend a good few evenings soaking it all in. And while the story can’t quite top Ace Attorney’s creative turnabouts, and the puzzles won’t be troubling the Professor any time soon, this is a fantastic halfway house – or, rather, tower – that we are loath to leave once the mystery’s untangled. We imagine SFB Games feels similarly: given its obvious love for these kinds of games, we can only hope we’ll see the detective again in future.