Publisher: Telltale Games Developer: Telltale Games Year of Release: 2010 (Wii, iPhone and iPad versions not currently released as of 09/07/10) Platforms: PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Wii  When you look at developers claiming to be doing episodic gaming, only one has really got the idea properly – Telltale. From the great Sam and Max games to the recent Tales of Monkey Island, they know how to make good games in a series every month which will keep you holding on to your mouse until the very end of the series through a series of very clever yet not impossible puzzles and witty dialogue. Now they are trying to bring more of the TV terminology over to gaming through their Pilot system – trying out some new series by releasing the first episode and gauging the result. The first up is Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent. Entitled the “Mystery of Scoggins” it takes Nelson Tethers, the only member of the FBI Puzzle Research Division, to the town of Scoggins in Minnesota to investigate an incident involving the eraser factory that makes those used by President. Once there however it turns out that everything is not how it seems, especially with the appearance of some creepy little red gnomes. The plotline is a little bit formulaic and in the vein of things like Twin Peaks or Alan Wake but on a slightly less sinister note though still remaining occasionally scary. I quite liked the plot but it is very obvious a pilot with quite a few questions left unanswered at the end. Though it is a bit weird how everyone in town always gives you puzzles. Puzzle Agent plays a lot like the Professor Layton – to advance the plot, you need to complete several puzzles. There are several different types, from riddles to jigsaw and they all are both challenging and fun. Some of them are repeated a few time but at varying levels of complexity such as the one based around reflecting something’s path via a selection of logs or such like.. To help you out there is a hint system which you can use a maximum of three times per puzzle in order to provide steadily more useful hints. However, the use of this (along with submitting incorrect answers) brings down your final score. This has no real effect but it does make you want to go back to improve your score and so keep playing. The main draw for me in this game though is the rather striking art done by Graham Annable. For anyone unfamiliar with him, he is a traditional animator/artist who actually helped to form Telltale in the first place. He has a very distinctive art style and humour which can be seen in his video on his youtube page. As you can see its all about being creepy or surreal. The game’s 3D artists took his line drawings and added a 3D effect on most of the scenes to make them look even better. I agree with the reviews that say this feels like an animated short. I also think its one of Telltale’s best looking games so far. Similarly, the sound design is also pretty good. The music is perfect for the game’s tone and the voice work, while slightly amateurish, perfectly suits the slightly mad inhabitants of this backwater. When I came away from Puzzle Agent, it was with one feeling – I want more of this. Puzzle Agent really grabbed me with a mixture of the art style and the cunning puzzles. I hope that this becomes Telltale’s next series. But in regards to this episode, don’t play through the game first time with a guide as it it much more satisfying than just skipping over them all. Take your time and enjoy it properly. Oh and you’ll never look at flashes of red in the forest the same way ever again. Or sleep.

Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Year of Release: 2010 (Wii, iPhone and iPad versions not currently released as of 09/07/10)
Platforms: PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Wii 

When you look at developers claiming to be doing episodic gaming, only one has really got the idea properly – Telltale. From the great Sam and Max games to the recent Tales of Monkey Island, they know how to make good games in a series every month which will keep you holding on to your mouse until the very end of the series through a series of very clever yet not impossible puzzles and witty dialogue. Now they are trying to bring more of the TV terminology over to gaming through their Pilot system – trying out some new series by releasing the first episode and gauging the result. The first up is Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent.

Entitled the “Mystery of Scoggins” it takes Nelson Tethers, the only member of the FBI Puzzle Research Division, to the town of Scoggins in Minnesota to investigate an incident involving the eraser factory that makes those used by President. Once there however it turns out that everything is not how it seems, especially with the appearance of some creepy little red gnomes. The plotline is a little bit formulaic and in the vein of things like Twin Peaks or Alan Wake but on a slightly less sinister note though still remaining occasionally scary. I quite liked the plot but it is very obvious a pilot with quite a few questions left unanswered at the end. Though it is a bit weird how everyone in town always gives you puzzles.

Puzzle Agent plays a lot like the Professor Layton – to advance the plot, you need to complete several puzzles. There are several different types, from riddles to jigsaw and they all are both challenging and fun. Some of them are repeated a few time but at varying levels of complexity such as the one based around reflecting something’s path via a selection of logs or such like.. To help you out there is a hint system which you can use a maximum of three times per puzzle in order to provide steadily more useful hints. However, the use of this (along with submitting incorrect answers) brings down your final score. This has no real effect but it does make you want to go back to improve your score and so keep playing.

The main draw for me in this game though is the rather striking art done by Graham Annable. For anyone unfamiliar with him, he is a traditional animator/artist who actually helped to form Telltale in the first place. He has a very distinctive art style and humour which can be seen in his video on his youtube page. As you can see its all about being creepy or surreal. The game’s 3D artists took his line drawings and added a 3D effect on most of the scenes to make them look even better. I agree with the reviews that say this feels like an animated short. I also think its one of Telltale’s best looking games so far. Similarly, the sound design is also pretty good. The music is perfect for the game’s tone and the voice work, while slightly amateurish, perfectly suits the slightly mad inhabitants of this backwater.

When I came away from Puzzle Agent, it was with one feeling – I want more of this. Puzzle Agent really grabbed me with a mixture of the art style and the cunning puzzles. I hope that this becomes Telltale’s next series. But in regards to this episode, don’t play through the game first time with a guide as it it much more satisfying than just skipping over them all. Take your time and enjoy it properly. Oh and you’ll never look at flashes of red in the forest the same way ever again. Or sleep.