TSIOQUE – PC Game Review

Written by: Simone

Introduction

There is a lot to talk about when it comes to Tsioque (developed by OhNoo Studio & Smile), so the first thing I would like to mention is that it currently holds 100% positive user review status on Steam (at time of writing). The second thing I would like to mention is that this status is absolutely well deserved.

Tsioque is an excellent example of both hand-drawn animation and point-and-click adventure. The plot is beautifully written, well executed and perfectly paced. Each element of the game knits together seamlessly to achieve a balance other indie games can sometimes narrowly miss.

You play as a determined little princess who, upon the Queen’s departure for battle, is imprisoned in the palace dungeon by the Evil Wizard. She may be small, but Princess Tsioque is in no mood to let that be the case for long. There is a lot to discover beyond the walls of your cell, and a lot more to this story than meets the eye.  The quirky humour, varied puzzles and stunning environments make this real a pleasure to play.

 

Gameplay

True to the genre of point-and-click, your controls are simple: you point and you click. Does that make this boring to play? Not in the least. There are actually a few things I’d say make the gameplay feel more fleshed out than some other games in this bracket.

Point-and-click games tend to feel leisurely with little sense of urgency. Sure, this serves a purpose, and works well for large parts of the game where you need to take a step back and make plans. However, this game still had a welcome surprise for me – time sensitive events. Some puzzles need you to think fast and act in accordance with what is happening around you. The game thankfully has mercy on it’s unsuspecting players. If you aren’t always quick on the draw and get caught by the castle guards, you can simply replay the sequence until you master it. Some free advice though – this game is much easier with an actual mouse rather than a laptop touch pad, simply because these timed events can need some precision efforts.

Another thing I enjoyed about the gameplay was the occasional deviation from the ‘find-combine-use’ method most point-and-clicks use for every single puzzle. It was quite refreshing to find that certain puzzles need you to actually physically do something with things you have found (beyond smashing them together with other things you’ve found) or act in a certain way. If you enjoy puzzles and thinking exercises, then this game should be good fun for you.

I also couldn’t help but notice that despite the fantasy setting, things still largely made sense. Real-world logic still applies alongside the fairy tale. If something is particularly cumbersome, it’s not going to fit in your little inventory bag, for example. It works well to engage your mind and find clever solutions to new problems in a world you don’t yet know.

Possibly my favourite thing about the gameplay is that it teaches you, even if you haven’t really noticed. There are certain mechanics that the game eases you into, that feel like nice, but inconsequential features until later in the game when that information becomes vital. I definitely had at least one moment of beautiful realisation that made the former developer in me grin like a child.

 

Graphics

If you’re anything like me, when you read a really, really good book you build this incredible, beautiful world in your head to match (and so film adaptations regrettably almost never live up to our expectations). With this game, you can tell someone had that perfect image in their mind and successfully brought it to life. Part of the reason for this incredibly high praise is the sheer craftsmanship involved. All the animations are hand-drawn frame by frame and I’m living for it. It doesn’t feel like you’re moving a 2D plane around a backdrop and the world feels a perfect balance of being real and yet fantastical. Everything from the lighting, to the character design is consistently good and in-keeping with the overall distinctive style of the game.

The attention to detail is really what makes this game so beautiful. Even the icons lend favorably to the aesthetics. When you’re only using a mouse, you rely on the cursor to to give you all the direction you need. Each indicator icon is not only clear, but beautifully styled and animated, just like everything else in the game.

It’s difficult to get the balance of colour right when you’re dealing with dungeons and traversing courtyards at night, but still want to make the game feel fun. This is why Tsioque’s playful splash of colour works so well here – she is bright in every sense of the word. Her design tells you right away that she’s determined and unapologetically herself and I never got tired of watching her stomp around with a furrowed brow wreaking havoc.

At first glance I was reminded a little of Disenchantment (Netflix Series by Matt Groening) when exploring the environments, but the game really does stand proudly on its own in terms of style. It feels blissfully like roaming the pages of one of the darker children’s books. If Tsioque became an animated series, I’d definitely watch that as well!

 

Audio

Much like the graphics in this game, the audio is beautifully crafted and well suited for bringing the game and characters to life.

This medieval orchestra really knows how to convey a mood. The music and the aesthetics marry together so well to build a distinctive feel for each environment. In the dungeon scene, eery strings rise and fall to build suspense. However, as you (hopefully) begin to plot and orchestrate your escape the music transforms to convey the mischievous nature of Princess Tsioque. This is but one example of stunning composing you’ll hear throughout the game.

The sound effects too really sold some of the key moments of this game for me. Without them, it would still be a fantastic game, but so much of the personality shone through the mouths of grumbling goblins and Tsioque’s little tantrums. The actual voice acting in this game is understandably limited. Point-and-click games can often have little to no spoken dialogue in my experience and in this case I’m glad they included it. It feels like just the right amount and the voice actors did a great job in their roles. It really helped me get the feeling for Tsioque’s character and feelings, even though she has no real lines herself. Provoking the dungeon goblin despite his insistence that I stop and be quiet brought back memories of royally peeving people off as a kid. Unleashing the Wizard’s anger when he is disturbed feels all the more real and consequential while he’s actually yelling at you.

 

Some of the tracks are available for listening on Sound Cloud if you fancy a taster: https://soundcloud.com/tsioque

 

I honestly think I could meditate to the Crypt track.

 

Replay Potential & Value for Money

The ending of the game was a real treat for me, and I was determined to review the game without spoiling it for anyone. As with most games, knowing the ending can diminish replay value, however there are a few Steam achievements I didn’t collect the first time around (I tend to not read what the achievements are before I start because I like pleasant surprises). For the completionists out there, you might get another play-through out of this one if you don’t get them all the first time. I know I’ll be having another crack at it.

I would normally begrudgingly admit that £10.99 feels like the upper limit for a game that can be quite short depending on your puzzle-solving skills. It took me roughly 3 hours but a little digging showed people appear to have spent anywhere between 2.5 – 6 hours completing it. That said, I honestly feel like this experience is worth the money if you enjoy other point-and-clicks and like a nice story to go along with it as it really is a joy to play.

Any curators of games that contain decent female protagonists should also give this a look over. This little blonde girl stomping around dungeons and taking absolutely no messing was a real breath of fresh air. She’s not even the only positive female force in the game as the strong and fearless ruler is no King, but a Queen. Heck yeah!

 

Conclusion & Score

 

90 / 100

 

In conclusion, if I had to choose one word for this game, it would be ‘craftsmanship’. Yes it’s a short indie game, but I feel that it deserves to be in the top tier for its class. It was something I felt I would enjoy, but I didn’t expect to come away with that ‘wow’ feeling like I did. I can feel the love from everyone who worked on this project and their unity as a team simply by how polished and cohesive it felt. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on these developers in future.

PROS

• Gorgeous stylised artwork
• Wonderful plot
• Excellent accompanying audio
• Fun and involving puzzles
• Familiar story with a unique world
• Plucky female protagonist

CONS

• A little short
• Not for the easily discouraged
• A little tricky with a laptop touch pad.