The Girl of Glass: A Summer Bird's Tale (PC) Preview

It becomes immediately clear that Girl of Glass has immense potential in the storytelling department. The characters are interesting, and the story instantly draws the player in. The puzzles present in the initial area experienced so far are pretty simple, but since it's early on, it's hard to gauge if they're going to get deeper or more complex as the adventure progresses.

This also has a combat system that feels like a mix between an action-RPG and a game of rock-paper-scissors. It's a very simple system, and that's meant in the best possible way; playing as a poor girl with no friends growing up in a circus, it makes perfect sense to see an RPG-like system based on real life, using a broom as a weapon, the main enemy being just a local grumpy cat; it feels like an adventure made up in the mind of a youth who wants to escape.

This feeling is pervasive throughout the demo. The consistent humility of the game and its characters and setting paint a sombre portrait of Kristal's life, but she remains strong-willed and determined. This is the best kind of introduction to a story. You want to help her escape her misery; you want to know if she can reconcile with the Tall Lady; you want to see her overcome her shyness and spend more time with the Strong Girl. To top it all off, the character designs are fantastic and the game is beautiful, it's like moving around through a series of paintings.