Evan's Remains (Nintendo Switch) Review

Moving has you using the joystick to direct the character right or left, and some jumping is involved (which again includes a lot of hair swishing). This seamlessly incorporates visual novel style cut-scenes, some which make sense from the start, others are extremely mysterious and conjure up many questions about the girl's investigation. The key to finding Evan lies with a disembodied researcher/scientist guy, who provides minimal moral support (a complete weirdo discovered on the island, who felt like a stalker), and the many puzzles that must be solved. Here is where the game gets raised above other puzzle-adventures.

The puzzles don't have to be solved to complete the game. It is highly recommended that the puzzles are solved to get the clues that reveal a cryptic truth; they involve thinking outside the box, jumping around, and using the clever puzzle mechanics to get to the end goal. However, if the player is not amazing at puzzles, and comes across one that simply cannot be solved, it is possible to select an option to bypass it, and move on with the story.

In theory all the puzzles can be skipped, but the logical thinking required within rewards success with a real sense of achievement at figuring out how to get from A to B. There is a lot of jumping, which is the platforming element of the game. Jumping in certain places leads to some platforms appearing and disappearing. Getting them to vanish and reappear in a specific order is needed to surmount the obstacle at the right side of the screen, and carry on exploring the island.

Accompanying the puzzles and at times frustrating dialogue, which throws up more questions than it answers, is the peaceful soundtrack that feels at odds in a positive way with the story's narrative. All the player wants to do is find answers to questions. The soothing music set alongside realistic sand effects, such as running in sand, and landing on stone platforms, probably is to soothe the player's frustrations in figuring out how to solve the puzzles. Missing a jump over and over is annoying, so the calm soundtrack makes it less of a frantic need to hurry on and more of a leisurely play. Nothing is learnt by rushing, especially when it concerns the creepy guy who is as cryptic as the puzzles themselves.