Review of Paper Trail: An entertaining fold
Our Verdict
Paper Trail provides a refreshing addition to the puzzle game genre, giving us head-scratching levels to work through while following the story of a young girl leaving home for the first time. While the puzzles might not be to everyone's taste, it's a lovely little entry to the Switch's library.
I knew I had to play Paper Trail as soon as I saw it in Wholesome Direct in 2022 and then in person at WASD in 2023. A year later, I've achieved my goal and enjoyed playing around with the independent puzzle game.
Paper Trail is the creation of Newfangled Games, a three-person, BAFTA-winning company with a wealth of expertise. It's easy to see why their papery independent game won several prizes, including the Most Innovative Game at IndieX and the Indie Showcase at Develop in 2022.
As the name implies, paper is involved in Paper Trail. You play as Paige in this indie top-down game (haha, like a page? Get it?) when she makes the decision to move out of her family's house. The secret is that you have to fold the edges and corners of the bendable screen to make pathways and avoid obstacles in order to move her from point A to point B.
I adore this idea. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, particularly with its adorable artwork that evokes so many distinct feelings in scenes like a marsh, woodlands, villages, and cities blanketed in snow.
The stages are well-designed and diverse across the many locales, introducing concepts like joining symbols, guiding a rock out of the path, matching two identical dice, and allowing energy to flow to various containers. Along the journey, you also encounter folks who have hilarious and unforgettable conversations.
The fact that the game is a puzzle game is the problem, not the game itself. As we all know, some individuals find some puzzles difficult to solve, and other reviews seem to confirm this by highlighting various players' experiences with the game.
When I can't figure anything out quickly, I tend to feel overwhelmed, and at some of the stages here, I got a little stuck. That's not to suggest the game is horrible; on the contrary, I simply lack the problem-solving abilities to figure out some of the obviously quite apparent solutions. Anyway, I have to deal with that annoying issue on my own.
You’ll probably adore Paper Trail if you like solving puzzles and experiencing several "hmm" moments before a breakthrough. Some of us, like myself, can utilize the tip screen to figure out how to fold the paper to solve the problems and go on with the voyage when we get stuck, which is most of the time.
It will take you around ten hours to finish Paper Trail and fold every last bit of the parchmenty screen while gathering origami parts that are strewn all over the place. It's a fantastic experience. It works well on Switch as well, with fast loading times and a generally logical control layout.
I suggest primarily using the right thumbstick to move the page after grabbing it with ZR or ZL; the left thumbstick should only be used for controlling Paige. I kept using the left stick to manipulate Paige and the page, wondering why my paper wasn't trailing, but this concept works well for wriggling your way through riddles. Once again, not a problem, just an old petty me problem.
I heartily suggest Paper Trail if you're looking for a brain-twisting puzzle game; in fact, I think it's worth it simply for the artwork. Even if it may not be to my taste, it's still a great addition to any library of indie games.