Paper Trail

For what Paper Trail sets out to do - it does so with a clear passion and mastery of craft that is rarely seen in the industry today. While not everyone might resonate with the story in the same way that I have, those who do will feel every fold and every step of Paige's journey through a whimsical and wonderfully designed world that manages to mix an inventive new twist on top-down puzzling with a heartening premise that will sit with me for a long time.

Paper Trail had set high expectations, and Newfangled Games meets and exceeds them, combining inspired puzzle design with gorgeous art and atmosphere to leave me very excited for what it turns its talent to next.

With interesting choices behind each fold, Paper Trail is a fantastic puzzle game worthy of your time. Crisp and clean like all paper games should be.

Paper Trail is a beautiful indie puzzle game with unique mechanics that isn’t afraid to present its players with a challenge. Its strong color schemes and charming characters will make this a great addition to your cozy games collection, especially if you’re looking for something to put your brain to work. However, finicky controls on console creates some very minor hindrances which, if you’re already feeling a bit stumped on some puzzles, can lead you to stepping away for a short spell.

Paper Trail delivers the perfect blend of color and art style that's a standout among the puzzle game genre. The technical mechanics are innovative and creatively integrate new challenges as the story goes on, making the experience engaging and thoughtful. While this storybook looks visually stunning, the plot lacks a sense of depth and doesn’t add much to the games’ experience. Paper Trail puts a twist on the simple indie game and centers itself on display for everyone to see in all its splendor.

Sustaining its paper-folding hook across reams of compelling 2D levels, Paper Trail is a pretty unique puzzling adventure, with endearing characters, an engaging fairy tale look, and a procession of smartly executed paper conundrums. This is some good sheet.

Paper Trail is a really nice game with a lot of fun to be had. It has some small issues and feels a little too short for its price, but is a great experience if that doesn’t bother you.

Brought to life with gorgeous hand-drawn art, Paper Trail is beautiful to look at. Its puzzles, centring around folding and unfolding paper, are an acquired taste, however, and can quickly grow tiresome. As well-designed and clever as they are, we'd wager some players will struggle to digest more than a couple of levels at a time.

Paper Trail is short, which I get. It’s an indie game developed by a small team. I’m not expecting some massive, epic experience. However, I beat the game in less than ten hours, which does mean it’s on the shorter end. While I’m satisfied with the plot and the puzzles overall, I do think that a few extra hours with Paige and some harder puzzles could have taken the game from good to truly great.

Paper Trail is a neat bit of puzzling whimsy with a unique folding mechanic and thoughtful design that hides just the right amount of difficulty beneath its beautiful exterior.

When you think about it, that’s kind of the inherent pro and con to puzzles, though. Paper Trail benefits a lot from its distinct mechanics, because they help it stand out among a sea of similar games with similar gameplay hooks. But distinct doesn’t always mean approachable, and Paper Trail ends up being quite complex in a lot of ways that could be awesome for one player and super obstructive to another. And that’s fine! The style, which includes the colorful visuals, silly sound direction, genuine writing, and emotive music, all elevate the experience and aid in that sense of approachability...