Always on the hunt for a new puzzle game, I came face to face with Pathea’s Ever Forward, a unique title where the gameplay and the story are a puzzle in and of themselves. It’s a game that bathes itself in its simplistic and melancholic themes that feel like a dream.

While its gameplay may look very simple at first glance, it’s more than meets the eye. And although I liked much of what I played, there are some annoyances that come with the game if you’re planning on playing on the Nintendo Switch

Story

I don’t really want to spoil any of the story, so I won’t be talking much about it. You play as Maya, a girl who finds herself in two different worlds that seem to be colliding together. In-between each puzzle you get some story snippets that give more depth and backstory to what’s going on. It isn’t some grandiose story by any means but it is a deep one that I connected with early on.

Gameplay

Ever Forward’s gameplay is extremely lean in controls yet hefty in difficulty. I won’t lie, it had me stumped far more than I thought it would. Every puzzle has its own nuances that differentiate one from another with the central theme throughout being that you have to get this little cube to the end of each one to pass it.

As I said, though very modest in looks, it’s all about making sure you know how the puzzles work. There are many obstacles that will get in your way such as robots that instantly kill you, tubes that teleport you, and switches that the cubes can activate.

It’s definitely a game that will have you restarting its puzzles many a time and doing things over and over again. Luckily, it takes things easy on you, slightly, as you are able to save your respawn area whenever you want. And say you get stuck, you can load right back to that save spot whenever you like as well.

It’s aspects like this that really helped to make a hard game seem fair. There are a couple of other gameplay mechanics thrown into it here or there but they never last longer than a single puzzle or scene. It’s a title that had a clear vision and stuck to it closely.

Audio and Visuals

I was surprised yet happy to find out that the game is fully voiced across its small handful of characters. I was onboard from the start because of it and I personally felt that the actors did a great job.

Visuals in the art style department are fantastic with a slight anime look to things yet still maintaining a realistic look overall.

Replayability

Ever Forward is a pretty tough game so replaying may be worth your time as you might actually forget the solutions to its puzzles. Aside from that though, I really don’t think there’s too much replayability past a single play.

What It Could Have Done Better

Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more in terms of gameplay. While some puzzles were truly intriguing, others just felt only ok. It’s a game that looks the same from start to finish so other elements of gameplay would have been welcomed to shake things up.

Unfortunately, the game runs horrific on the Switch due to it being unoptimized. The puzzle levels aren’t horrible but you will find frames sluggish and it can have an impact on jumping and even pressing the action button. I had to restart numerous times because the game just couldn’t keep up with me.

Additionally, the very linear story sections almost come to a complete halt because of the fact that it chugs so hard. I swear the game almost crashed on me a handful of times. It really sucks the fun out of everything and it happens so often that it became an expected part of the game after a while.

Verdict

Ever Forward is a puzzle game that is definitely worth its price if you’re playing on the right hardware. Its puzzles are difficult and its characters intriguing. I had a good time with it overall and would definitely suggest giving it a try if you have $15 to spend. Though I would definitely avoid it on the Switch at all costs.