Porcelain Tales Review
- The atmosphere design is amazing
- Puzzles are well-designed
- Mechanics are simple and fun
- Bonus points for story and acting
- Vampire AI is a little weak
- There are no checkpoints or save option
- Minor bugs and glitches
Everything You Need to Know About Porcelain Tales
Porcelain Tales Story
At the beginning of the game, you are given a brief animation that provides you with the details of the story. Here, you learn that you are a garden gnome turned into a living being by a witch. This witch wants to use you for her evil plans. For more details on the plot, you can check out the Porcelain Tales Story article.
The story was overall well-thought for a puzzle game of this scale. There are some mysteries as well so you want to keep playing to see the end of it. If you are playing the game just for puzzles’ sake, this might not be a big plus for you, but if you care about the story, like me, Porcelain Tales won’t disappoint.
Game Mechanics
When you start your gameplay, you will start in a tutorial room where you learn all the tricks and mechanics you need to use like throw, jump or climb. The mechanics are quite simple and with the help of the tutorial room, you won’t feel lost or confused in the later parts of the game. You can stop worrying about controls and finding how to do things right, and just channel your energy into solving the puzzles.
Gameplay
For a simple design like this, Porcelain Tales definitely exceeds expectations. It has different endings depending on what you did during your gameplay, which is usually not the case in puzzle platform games. There is a vampire chasing you in the building which adds to the game a sense of tension and adrenaline. The mechanics of this chase was also designed really well, by the eye icon on top of the screen you can see how visible you are to the vampire and act accordingly. I have to admit that the vampire’s AI might have been a bit better, but it works.
Overall, the game is fun. The children's-book aesthetic is delightful, as so is the story and level design. I enjoyed the difficulty balance when you are spotted and have to hide. It was enough to be challenging without being frustrating. This made it my favorite part of the game along with the puzzles. Puzzles are designed with the same level of balance as well. They do not feel so easy to an extent where it’s boring, but they are easy enough to figure out after a few trials and hints.
There are several bugs and glitches in the game such as the gnome being able to pass through walls or fly over objects but it is to a level where it is still bearable.
Graphics
Porcelain Tales feels like a game of hide and seek in a massive environment where hiding isn’t enough but you also have to solve the puzzles. All of this is done in a pretty B&B with nice visuals. The place looks like it is straight out of a children’s fairy tale and the atmosphere design is really satisfying.
Not only the visuals but the sound design as well, makes you feel really immersed in the game. Character sounds, background music, sound effects and graphics all come together for your experience as a gnome, in a cottage a hundred times bigger than you.
Is Porcelain Tales Worth Playing?
Gameplay is fun and simple. The game can be completed in less than an hour, so if you are looking for a game to just kill some time and have an easy time with lovely graphics, Porcelain Tales is going to give you all you need.