If you’re looking for your next cozy puzzle game, you can stop the search, because this game is one of the coziest puzzle games I’ve played all year.
Townframe is an adorable puzzle game where you recreate townscapes based on your clients memories.
In this article, we’ll be giving a full review of the game and ranking it from decaf to fully caffeinated.
Story
Townframe is one of those games that doesn’t have a driving overarching storyline, but instead has mini stories woven in to each level.
You are treated to some context to the puzzles with the opening story scenes, and it’s here you discover the origins of the Townframers, and how you became one.
Each level you play has a different client, and they each have a tale to tell. You’ll be immersed in the nostalgia in each, as the characters remember some of their fondest memories and recreating the townscape rewards you with more details to each story.
While the stories aren’t complex, they definitely have a lot of charm, and add a lot of context to the puzzles themselves.
So for story, I’m rating Townframe as Buzzed.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of Townframe is quite simply delightful.
You’ll progress through a number of different levels, and each one will hold a different townscape for you to recreate.
Your clients will present you with the memory they want recreated, and while some are relatively straightforward, others will require a bit of brain power to solve. Each townscape is presented in a frame, and you’ll be able to adjust each item in the frame, transforming it into a variety of different sized houses, or into trees. You’ll need to carefully decode the client’s clues to work out what goes where, and often it’s just a small part of the scene that needs to be recreated, not the entire thing.
As you progress you’ll unlock different tools, which add some more dimension to the puzzles. The magnifying glass allows you to find hidden things, like someone’s pet. You’ll be able to unlock wind controls, which allow you to change the wind direction and speed. A listening device can be unlocked, so you can hear the townscape as well as see it, and you can unlock a camera to capture the townscapes for your clients too.
If you get stuck on a puzzle you can unlock clues to help, but these are kind of abstract, so be prepared to still need to think to work out the answer.
The puzzles themselves aren’t overly complicated or difficult, but still add a decent challenge to the game. It’s definitely a game suitable for any age to play, and the gameplay is cozy and fun.
There’s about 25 puzzles in the game, which I made my way through in about an hour, so it’s not an overly long game. That being said, there’s plenty of room for more puzzles to be added, and I’d love to see some more levels in the future.
Townframe is a fun little game, that’s executed really well, and has a lot to love, so for gameplay, I’m rating Townframe as Buzzed.
DESIGN
Townframe features a really cute hand-drawn art style, that gives the game a nice calm feel. It’s such an adorable game visually, and I loved all the elements you can put in the townscapes, and the character design is great.
The soundtrack fits the cozy vibe, giving you a chill soundscape to solve the puzzles too. The use of the listening device in the game really adds a lot of dimension to the sound design, and I loved being able to hear the buildings and work out what type of building each was.
This is a game that looks and feels adorable, so for design, I’m rating Townframe as Fully Caffienated.
ORIGINALITY
Townframe is a pretty unique puzzle game, that uses a lot of mechanics I haven’t seen incorporated into a game like this before.
The different tools really add a lot of points of difference to the game, particularly the listening device, and the wind function, which really bring the whole townscapes to life. The interactivity of the visual elements of the game is really cool, and almost combines a sandbox style building game with a puzzler, which is really interesting.
This is a game that definitely is a unique take on a puzzle game, so for originality, I’m rating Townframe as Fully Caffeinated.
THE FINAL BREW
Townframe is cozy puzzling at it’s finest. The game is the perfect mix of cozy but brain tingling, and the adorable art style really brings the game to life.
This is a perfect puzzle choice for all ages, that is a great relaxing choice for the puzzle lover.
We’ve ground the beans, we’ve carefully weighed and pressed the grinds, and brewed this game down. Now it’s time for a taste test….Townframe is Buzzed!
Townframe is available on Steam from October 8th. You can check it out here.
Until next time, stay caffeinated!
