Puzzle Agent

Nelson Tethers Puzzle Agent is a puzzle game dressed up as a point-and-click adventure. Lead character Tethers works in the 'Puzzle Division' of the FBI and is sent out to a town called Scoggins to investigate why an eraser factory has shut down.

In each locale you visit, there may be a few objects you can interact with; items of interest, people, or chewing gum. Finding chewing gum allows you to an extra hint whilst doing puzzles. Objects may present a puzzle, or provide a bit more background story upon investigation. Talking to people is done with a dialog tree and the characters are well voiced and fairly humorous. People in Scoggins seem to have a penchant for puzzles which mean Tethers is the ideal FBI agent for the case.

When you are presented with a puzzle, you are given introductory text, then the rules, then you have to solve it. The puzzles can be all types; jigsaws, problem solving, maths, rotating image pieces; most of which are easy. Some puzzles may seem a bit vague but if you don't understand them fully, taking advantage of the hint system usually points you in the right direction. If you are still struggling you can use up to 3 hints, and sometimes the third hint basically just tells you the answer; so you should never get fully stuck. After submitting a successful answer, you are scored based on how many hints you used and how many incorrect submissions you gave.

After completing the puzzle, the characters will give Tethers enough information to point him to his next destination. The point-and-click aspect isn't fully fleshed out and only acts as a way to dress up the game. Point-and-click games involve progression by solving puzzles based on your inventory and objects on the field, but you're never presented with these puzzles, which is a shame. You don't even need to work out where to go next because Tether's tells you where to go, so it's just a case of clicking on the map. The way it is presented is not a waste of time though, because at least it helps present the story which is usually lacking in puzzle games.

A lot of the characters act suspicious and Tethers quickly realises there is something deep going on. After witnessing some evil looking garden gnomes known as Hidden People, a more sinister plot emerges. However, the plot isn't fully resolved by the end of the game and leaves it open for the sequel.

I really enjoyed the game's presentation since the comic style graphics were cool and the characters were likeable and well voiced. Some of the puzzles were great but I did find them a bit inconsistent in terms of difficulty. It did start to feel repetitive by the end of the 3 hour long game. So in the end it seems like a lot of wasted potential. If more variety of puzzles were included as well as a steeper learning curve and more point-and-click aspects; then it would be a great game.