Creating a unique world is one difficult task, but to turn that world into a video game using your hand-drawn imagery is another. This is what Nerd Monkeys pulled off when they created their puzzle game, Out of Line. Working with Hatinh Interactive, players will see this game hit Steam and Nintendo Switch today with plans for a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch later this year. The only question is, will it be worth it? For beginner puzzle gamers, absolutely! For everyone else, I would say “depending.” Let’s break it down a bit.

Story

Take on the role of San, a creature that is looking to escape the factory that he once called home. To do so, he will have to overcome puzzles and run from the living factory that tries to stop him from leaving.

Gameplay

Since the game is actually pretty short, they kept the gameplay pretty straightforward. Whether you use a controller or the mouse and keyboard, you will find the controls to be simplistic and straightforward. You can move left or right, jump, throw your spear, and interact with extra spears and levers. That is pretty much it.

All of the levels are pretty flat, but you will come across puzzles that have you moving up and down with the use of a lever. Your focus will be kept on solving the puzzle in front of you, or perhaps in the general area you are in. Most of the time, these puzzles involve stopping a gear from turning by throwing your spear into it or using your spear as a lever to move a mechanism. Don’t worry though, you can recall your spear to you from anywhere with the same button used to throw it.

I personally didn’t find any of the puzzles to be super difficult, so if you are very adept with puzzle games and enjoy a challenge - this game is not for you. However, if you are new to puzzle games or just trying to get better at solving puzzles, this would be the perfect game for you. With how straightforward everything is in this short puzzle adventure, you will find the puzzles to be mostly straightforward as well.

Audio and Visuals

The audio and music used throughout the game are all pretty basic. I did like the more uplifting sounds they brought out during the better cutscenes and how they used a musical tone to bring out the negative scenes as well.

I do have to say that the game is visually appealing though. The art style used throughout the game and the way they make the character look almost like an action figure make for an inviting environment.

What Could Be Better

The length of the game could be extended. I understand that sometimes developers are just making a short adventure, but I cleared the game in 2 hours. Just feels entirely too short to me.

Unless this game was aimed to be for players that are new to puzzle games, then they should have had more difficult puzzles to solve. This probably contributes to the length issue as well because the puzzles were finally starting to get a little challenging towards the end and it would have been interesting to see it continue longer.

Conclusion

Out of Line is a fun puzzle game that just ended too soon. I can see people enjoying their playthrough of this game, but if a player gets this game in hopes of being challenged by the puzzles, they aren’t going to be too happy with it. Definitely a great game for players that are newer to the world of puzzle games though.