Paper Trail - Switch Review
"Paper Trail enamoured me with its humorous characters and accessibility"
Take life into your own hands and see things from a new perspective with Paper Trail, a story following Paige, who aspires to follow academics. With the ability to manipulate the fabric of space and time, Paige is able to fold her world like a piece of origami and escape from her small-town life. Newfangled Games has provided us with a charming story that has seamlessly folded the game mechanics into the narrative as you make your way through the puzzles.
The Good
One of the first noticeable features of Paper Trail is just how beautiful the art design is, looking like it's lifted directly from a children's story book. The backgrounds are breathtakingly designed on the front and back of each page, while the characters are a simple design but portray a lot of emotion. Truly a piece of art with every little detail.
If you only want to experience the story, Newfangled Games has provided players with hints easily accessible in the form of what folds you have to do and in what order. This doesn't solve the puzzles though, because down the line there are interactable objects in areas that'll carry you from page to page. Honestly, it is one of the best options to help people who aren't quite used to the out of the box thinking that can be required during certain levels.
Without giving too much of the story away, Paper Trail is a coming of age story that is all about making your own way in the world. Paige's story unfolds slowly as you learn about her family life and why she wants to explore her academic prospects. That's not to say the backstory is the only intriguing aspect, as are the characters you meet along the way down to the city.
TL;DR
- Beautiful art design
- Accessibility with hints
- Heartfelt story
The Bad
The gameplay cycle can feel a bit tedious, especially if you're struggling to see what exactly you have to do to progress the story. There were several times I was folding the pages over and over just to realise there was a moveable platform off to the side that you had to make use of. It was difficult to see some of the platforms that required either moving or a matching platform next to them to work, but eventually I always found them. It was frustrating feeling stuck just to have a smack your head moment, realising you'd missed something blatantly obvious. Overall, though the negatives aren't much to write home about, especially if you're into puzzle games or if you really just want the story, you can look up the solutions online.
TL;DR
- Can be tedious
- Difficult visually
Final Score: 8/10
Paper Trail is an adorable story that unfolds into being about making your own path in life and seeing things in a new light. Every little detail leads into adorable environmental storytelling that slowly unravels Paige's backstory in-between each area. While I am not usually a fan of puzzle games, Paper Trail enamoured me with its humorous characters and accessibility, providing the folds you have to do without giving you everything.
Thank you for checking out our Paper Trail Switch review, thank you to Newfangled Games (via Honest PR) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
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