The Touryst

No piece of gameplay is wasted, so no piece of gameplay is redundant or filler. It was an absolute joy entering into this world, a world teeming with life and activities and things to find. Shin’en made waves with FAST RMX and will hopefully do so again with The Touryst. This is a real gem that every Switch owner should seek out and download.

The Touryst is an absolutely stellar action-adventure game that sends players on a whirlwind journey of mini-games, puzzle solving and scenic vistas all bundled in one of the most visually impressive engines to date on the Switch.

Brilliant, hilarious, varied without ever losing consistency or amalgamation, it is really difficult to recommend a more suitable title to round off the year. Well done everyone, have a good trip.

The Touryst is a joyous little adventure that sinks its blocky little hooks into you and doesn't let go until it's done. It's got a perfect balance of atmospheric puzzling, leisurely exploring and minigame madness that'll keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish, and its collection of tiny little voxel islands are a joy to discover, bursting with surprises to uncover and presented in a truly dazzling art-style that's achieved whilst performing flawlessly on Nintendo's console. The puzzles might not be the most taxing you'll ever come across and you'll blow through the whole thing pretty quickly, but overall this is a top-notch – and perfectly priced – little gem.

The Touryst is a lovely and truly original adventure. In spite of its short duration and its absence of a remarkable soundtrack, it has allowed us to have fun solving puzzles and taking us through a great variety of islands with much to do.

The Touryst is an amazing game that will keep you invested at all times with a plethora of challenges and activities; there is a lot of fun to be had with this game.

The Touryst is a small, ressourceful and exceptionally adorable adventure.

The Touryst is a wonderful slice of adventure gaming paradise, but it features some tough platforming and challenges that can be a little frustrating. Ultimately, though, these concerns are minor when compared to the visual splendour and dream-like atmosphere of the various islands and environments. Although it might not take you too long to see and do everything, that’s probably because you’ll have such a hard time putting it down.

The Touryst won't let you relax. Instead, the developers have prepared for you a 5-hour story full of puzzles, challenges and even mini-games across 8 colorful environments.

I found that as the credits rolled on The Touryst's strange ending, I was keen for them to finish so I could jump straight back in and mop up the remaining objectives. Admittedly, even if you want to do absolutely everything, The Touryst isn't very long—my completion total sat at 94% after five and a half hours. But perhaps it's better this way--after all, the best vacations often end before you've had a chance to really get homesick. It's the next best thing to an actual holiday.

The Touryst is a game full of secrets to find, dungeons to solve and mini-games to enjoy.

Between Fast RMX and The Touryst, Shin’en has really gotten some great performances out of the Switch. I imagine there’s going to be a lot of people thinking about what a game like Link’s Awakening could’ve turned out like with this small team involved. If you want a nice relaxing puzzle game where you can just soak in the visuals The Touryst is a great game for it. Minor quibbles aside there is plenty to enjoy over the five-hour trip. Shin’en has made a game that looks amazing while always giving you something new to do. This is a vacation worth taking.

Shin’en has once again provided a tight and well-polished experience that looks the part, too. The Touryst would be a masterpiece if it wasn’t for the shortness, but the time you do spend with it is memorable and great fun.

If you enjoy variety in your indies then The Touryst will certainly impress with its consistently enjoyable and imaginative game world.

The Touryst may sport minimalistic visual designs, but make no mistake, it truly is a technical showcase for the Nintendo Switch with all the effects it throws around at the same time, all at a locked 1080p60 while docked. Shin'en strikes again then, and the adventure itself is pleasing and gripping throughout. Its only shortcoming is that, in the hands of capable riddle solvers, it is on the short side of things and feels like it is over a bit too quickly.

The Touryst overcomes its considerable flaws thanks to its vibrant personality and resplendent environments.

There isn't a strong narrative that strings together this adventure, but the lack of one makes the whole experience a bit more beguiling.

The Touryst is an original concept with really good ideas, even if they’re not always executed successfully. However, if you’re looking for an adventure that’s relaxed and unique, give this a try.

No Shin'en game plays as good as it looks; this one, however, comes closer than most. [Issue#341, p.120]

With The Touryst, it’s nice to see Shin’en Multimedia maintain their technical quality while flying in at a different angle in gameplay and mood. Besides the out of place design choices in regards to how the puzzle elements are handled, The Touryst is a decent break from reality that provides adorable and light busywork for the thumbs. It sure is a pretty place to mooch around in and will undoubtedly please those who may be looking to carry on stretching out that The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening feeling.

The Touryst is a fun day out, but ultimately not much more than that. The game is a bit short and manages to evoke quite a bit of irritation due to the sometimes very annoying (optional) mini-games.

The Touryst, a relaxing adventure, if that's possible to do. An adventure with dungeons and puzzles in the background of a lovely summer holiday, with gorgeous graphics and a varied, relaxing gameplay is what comes in this package and it works remarkably well. The game is short and it skips the whole epic side of adventure games but The Touryst is definitely an exquisite gem which more than deserves a chance.

The Touryst depicts a colourful universe featuring an idyllic but short journey scatterred with exciting minigames for all kinds of players.