Slice of Sea Reviews

This game is adorable and bite-sized fun puzzle game. At first it seemed like a P&C Adventure but instead it is more about object hunting and recall on where they might be used and/or pattern recognition. That said, it is still quite a bit fun and engaging. There were a few times I got stuck for simply missing to notice a detail but that's part of the experience. Some objects are sneakily well hidden which doesn't feel good once you realize, but it's not a big deal either way. I love the immersion and that there is no direct exposition, you are left to fend for yourself. The downside is that puzzles span the whole world (many, many screens) and navigating between them is difficult. Teleporters help some but they also were difficult to memorize where they are in relation to where I wanted to go. I think a map would have helped this game tremendously, but you can always draw your own. Not perfect but recommended for anyone who loves puzzle games. I expect you to get between 4-8h out of this one.

Mateusz Skutnik of the Submachine Series’ new game, Slice of Sea, is one of the best point and click adventure games I’ve played in recent memory. Though I still don’t think it stacks up to a game like Creaks (given that isn’t as point and click), or has the level of detail in each frame like Machinarium, SoS still provides an enjoyable point and click experience. The world design was a definite highlight, with many places making me stop and take loads of screenshots. There are easily over a hundred hand drawn frames with a variety of fascinating settings from the Nepalese inspired mountains to a train yard to a city to the sea - each of them beautiful vignettes that come to life with the gentle ambient background music and objects that sway in the wind. There was a decent amount of backtracking because the world is quite large in comparison to many other point and click games, but this was alleviated by the fast travel totems throughout. The main sense of progression came from unlocking new locations, but there are additional secrets to be found and achievements to hunt. One example of a reward is a stone you eventually acquire that allows you to travel to any fast-travel totems. There wasn’t really much of a plot or any characters that didn’t just stay in one frame, but the game’s sense of exploration and discovery hooked me. There were a few times where I didn’t know how to progress (like in any point and click games), but my biggest gripe with SoS was the song at the conclusion that feels very out of place from the rest of the drifting soft ambient music permeating throughout the game’s various regions. But that is a very minor complaint and evidence that Slice of Sea is an excellent Point and Click experience. This Slice of Sea is well worth the journey.