Players Like...

❤ Peeling Back the Layers of Shelmerston

The core gameplay involves a unique mechanic that allows players to zoom into objects and "slice" through them, revealing their inner contents. This perspective-based puzzle design prompts players to peel back the layers of various items - from household trinkets to the human body itself - in order to uncover hidden clues, memories, and details about the game's quirky cast of characters and their island home. Reviewers praised this innovative system as engaging, satisfying, and often humorous, as they constantly uncovered surprising and delightful discoveries within the most mundane of objects.

❤ Charting a Course Through a Cozy, Curious World

Complementing the perspective puzzles is a strong emphasis on relaxed exploration and discovery. Players are free to freely roam the detailed environments of the fictional island of Shelmerston, uncovering the many layers of its history, culture, and eccentric inhabitants at their own pace. Reviewers highlighted this sense of wonder and curiosity as a highlight, noting that simply poking around the cozy locales and unearthing new secrets and stories was often its own reward.

❤ Customizing the Challenge

While the core perspective puzzles make up the main gameplay loop, the experience also offers optional challenges for more completionist players. These include tracking down hidden "grenkins" (small spirit creatures) scattered throughout levels, as well as solving cryptic riddles by locating specific items. Reviewers noted that these added valuable variety, though the difficulty of the riddles was somewhat inconsistent.

❤ Prioritizing Accessibility and Player Agency

Significantly, the game's control scheme was praised for its accessibility, allowing for smooth navigation and object manipulation using only the mouse and keyboard. Additionally, reviewers appreciated that the mandatory story progression puzzles remained straightforward, while the more challenging optional content could be freely engaged with or avoided - empowering players to customize the difficulty to their preferred play style.