The Almost Gone

If you’re looking for a puzzle game with a carefully considered supporting narrative, you need look no further. The Almost Gone is a game that demands your attention but never feels overly difficult or complex. Our only major issue is that once you’re done and dusted, there’s very little incentive to go back and start again.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Almost Gone's sombre, minimalist story. The puzzles you encounter are hard enough to create a sense achievement but still felt manageable, and referenced the story beautifully, though some elements could have been improved. Due to the often dark subject matter, this game may not be for everybody, however I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that thinks they can handle it.

The Almost Gone is a clever little indie. It looks great. The spare soundtrack is effective and evocative. The puzzles are smart, and the narrative is superb. It’s also a game that could easily get lost in the crowd of other releases. It deserves attention though, and is well worth playing.

Your enjoyment of The Almost Gone is going to depend on what you're focusing on the most. If it's the story, you'll come away slightly disappointed. The game may not be afraid to tackle some subjects that some would consider to be sensitive, but the general ambiguity of plot elements doesn't create much empathy for the protagonist. If you're in for the gameplay, you'll be rewarded with some clever puzzles that lean toward being easy at times but never contain obtuse solutions. Its short playtime ensures that this is a game worth checking out when it is all said and done, but don't expect it to be the next profound indie experience.

The Almost Gone is a haunting experience that uses its gameplay and style to tell a strong tale about traumatic events. The game does have issues with regards to the balance of the puzzles and optimization for the Switch, but left me with a lot of complex feelings. If you are looking for a story driven puzzle game with a great story, you will not forget The Almost Gone anytime soon.

The Almost Gone has that same feeling of exploring fabrications made up to represent familiar surroundings, of having to look beyond the usual ways out to get out; and it has a comparable atmosphere of dread, manifesting an uncomfortable of pressure on the player. The more you play it, the closer you feel to some ominous truth you don't really want to discover - but you have to. So you do. And then all that's left are the empty sets. Tl;dr: this pretty little puzzler sure isn't Monument Valley.