PC REVIEW | Therapods

Point-and-click adventure games were one of my favourite genres when I was growing up. I absolutely loved the stories, the clever lateral thinking exercises and, of course, the ability to just take my time if I needed to work things out. That’s why I couldn’t wait to play through Therapods; it has that old-school pixel design, a fresh new story to enjoy and a few surprises along the way.

But I’ll get into all that shortly. The real question is – is Therapods single-click and done? or double-click fun.

Things I liked!

• Graphics | Therapods takes us not only millions of years into the past in terms of the story (more on that later), but it also takes us back a few years to when pixel-based adventure games were king.
  
  Now, point-and-click adventure games have come a long way in the art side of things, boasting hand-painted backgrounds and fully realised 3D characters, etc., but there is a charm to the way Therapods uses the pixel art of yesteryear. It not only takes us back to a more nostalgic time in gaming history, but it also fits with the story really well. The artists behind the game have done a fantastic job making each character, background and puzzle element stand out with just a few tiny squares for each of them, and it really does give the game a unique feel in this day and age where graphics are apparently king.

• Story | The story of Therapods is a little unique; there is a full story to the game. It has a beginning, middle and an ending, but it also allows you to kind of make up parts of it in your own head at the same time. Therapods has no dialogue or words, so you can only guess what the characters are thinking through gestures or actions. This gives you carte blanche to make up what you think is going on, to an extent, in your own head.
  
  I actually really appreciate this detail because it reminded me of Another World, which was a favourite of mine back in the day. The lack of dialogue also makes each of the surprises the game holds hit just a little bit harder; you never really know what is going to happen next. All in all, I have to give the developers kudos for letting the players have fun with the story in their own way.

• Sound Design | For a game with no dialogue, Therapods has to rely on sound to get the point across, and it does so extremely well.
  
  Sound design in a game like this can be the catalyst that lets you know if a moment should be funny, scary, heartfelt, etc., and each moment of the game has just the right music and sound effect to keep you in the right mindset.
  
  Now you might think I shouldn’t be able to mention voice acting in a game like Therapods. Well, there are still grunts, groans, screams and noises that indicate speech, and I have personally worked on a game where all the characters sound like they are from Animal Crossing. I can tell you that every sound is actually voiced, like “Eh Ba Te Ko” and so on, to allow the sound designers to give an approximation of language (the game was Tribloos 3, by the way), so even with the minimalistic soundscape I appreciate the developers hiring real people to create the sounds.

• Puzzles | The puzzles in Therapods aren’t really going to make you tear your hair out in frustration, but they don’t make it easy either. Each screen has elements you have to explore if you want to solve every puzzle, and you are not going to breeze your way through them either. There will be a lot of trial and error, and if you get really stuck, just remember the solution could just be something you haven’t tried yet.
  
  Back in the day I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of games like Discworld, Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island. You could spend ages trying various solutions to a puzzle only to find that the most simplest or ridiculous solution was often the best. Therapods carries on this tradition with some really fiendish but fun wee puzzles to solve as you progress.
  
  Now, you could go look up a guide, I suppose, but half the fun is finding that one elusive item and feeling that sense of pride at figuring it out by yourself. Therapods isn’t going to hold your hand, but it makes for a far better experience because of that.

Mixed & disliked!

• Length | Therapods is too short… kind of. I personally would love to see more of this game either as DLC or perhaps a sequel or maybe even a different part of the world where similar events are happening.
  
  But on the other hand, it kind of felt like a good length for a point-and-click game of its type as well. I’m actually quite torn because I understand the game had to end and had to be of a certain length, but on the other hand, I can understand why a lot of players fresh to this particular style of game might feel like they need more to sink their teeth into. It’s tricky because, honestly, if Therapods had been longer, would it have outstayed its welcome? Or was there just that hint of a little more to come? Only the developers know for sure.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 4 hours
• How long to beat the story? 2 to 4 Hours
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 20
• How long to get 100%? | 4 h
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Another World, The Secret of Monkey Island & Day of the Tentacle.

Score: 84/100

Therapods is a love letter to point-and-click games of the past and also an amazing game in its own right. I thoroughly enjoyed playing this, and I would love to see a continuation of the franchise in the near future. Definitely one for fans of point-and-click adventure games.