Lynn, The Girl Drawn On Puzzles (Nintendo Switch) Review

Once the menu is reached, it's actually unclear where to start. In addition to Lynn's story there is also an acorn story which is about a greedy squirrel, and then an extra story whose chapters can only be unlocked when a set number of fox orbs are obtained. The squirrel story reveals more about the relationship of the squirrel and the fox, and can be played before or after Lynn's story. Both the acorn story and Lynn's story follow a similar pattern. Each chapter has around nine levels. First part of the story is told with voiced dialogue and translated text. It speaks of what happens to the fox or squirrel, and also what Lynn does on her adventure. Then the levels must be tackled one at a time, each locked until the previous level is completed. Interestingly Lynn's chapters swipe left to right while the acorn chapters swipe from right to left.

Another game aspect which is stumbled upon, and would actually benefit by showing the player what to do is what looks like a tenth level in each chapter, but is in fact a short hint on how that particular chapter's mechanics work. It is an invaluable resource and saves having to fully figure out game mechanics which mostly are logical but some are a bit unusual; for example, knowing with certainty rather than guesswork on how to make monsters move to different squares helps Lynn not get eaten by them. Being able to refer back to those guidance levels at any time makes it easier to understand some of the more complex systems, such as how the Nine-tailed fox mimics Lynn's appearance in later chapters, and causes obstacles within that level until Lynn is able to move in a specific way in order to release the amulet that opens the barrier by the exit.

Regardless of whose story is being worked on, every level has the same principal: get Lynn or the squirrel to the exit, ideally in the minimum amount of moves to obtain the maximum three fox orbs per level. The good news is that even if the optimal number of moves is exceeded, one orb always remains with unlimited tries on completing it. Not only does that make this accessible to those who may not be that good at solving puzzles, but by pressing the Y button images of the puzzle are shown to give a clue of how to solve it. It will show the position of where both Lynn or the squirrel and all the monsters need to be in to reach a solution. That does not mean that there is only one way to complete the level. Sometimes using part of the provided hint then helps in figuring out a different completion method.

In later levels where certain monsters can only be moved by using will-o'-the-wisps which the monster will eat and move into the wisp's now free area, adding more difficulty to the puzzles but never making them impossible. There are both static and free-moving "rooms" in each of the puzzle that Lynn, the squirrel, and the monsters can move into upon reaching them. As the level complexity increases, so too does the amount of times Lynn can be accidentally eaten because of not paying attention to the type of surrounding rooms.

There is a level of melancholy to the Nine-tailed fox's life, once revealed through the diary, which explains why she is reluctant to help Lynn out. What happens to the fox spirit might explain the mysterious ending to Lynn's story, whose scenes unfold and leave an air of mystery that feels fitting to the oriental folklore style and certainly is not a typical Western ending. After the main story is completed, the Extra story chapters are unlocked once the appropriate amount of fox orbs are obtained. Levels can be replayed any time in order to try and get those extra orbs. The additional story is not extra hard; it has a higher amount of humour and reveals the developers' thoughts about the game, and gives insight into how they created the puzzles. Artwork from the story gets unlocked when levels and chapters are completed; these are accessed from the main menu.