I played through Gorogoa earlier this year, but somehow haven't got around to writing a review until now. I'm currently taking a break from Blue Prince after realizing just how huge the scope of the full game actually was and feeling a bit overwhelmed. While I love a huge sprawling world with tons of mysteries to uncover - I grew up playing Myst on the family PC - sometimes you just want a short, well-executed puzzle game that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Gorogoa is that game.

Gorogoa takes a single mechanical idea - dragging different panels back and forth to line them up to reveal new information - and milks that mechanic for all it's worth. At first, I thought it wasn't even going to be much of a puzzle game, more of an interactive story with a unique interface. But Gorogoa kept giving me new twists on how to use that core mechanic to solve increasingly clever puzzles. One moment that sticks in my mind is (and I'll spoiler-tag it in case you also want to experience that moment for yourself) discovering the first puzzle that let's you permanently rotate a top-level element by placing it over a moving scene that acts as a gear. The game also incorporates some point-and-click adventure mechanics, blending them with the main drag-and-drop idea to mess with your spatial reasoning in a really fun way.

On top of being a solid puzzle game, Gorogoa looks great. It has a distinct style that reminds me of a popup book, or paper cutouts. It mixes some more realistic and slightly grim scenery with gorgeous colors and fantastical imagery that reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth - a grim, drab real world setting with occasional flashes of whimsical fantasy. The game also manages to weave in the story - which is a bit ambiguous - without using any real text, dialogue, or exposition outside of a few short "cutscenes" as various sections of the game are completed. The sound design works well, too - largely ambient background noises that add a melancholy sense of place without distracting from the gameplay. But then those background tracks swell to epic soundscapes when appropriate, especially during the large story beats.

My only minor complaint is that the game is short - not TOO short, but I definitely wished there were maybe one or two more major sections that introduced new puzzles. That being said - I can't think of a single point where the game felt like it was dragging or repeating itself. And a short game that does everything well and leaves me wanting more is WAY better than one that starts feeling like a chore just to pad its play time.

If you like puzzle games, Gorogoa is definitely worth your time. You can pick it up here on Steam, but its also available on iOS, Android, Switch, Xbox One, and Playstation 4.