I got my hands on Punzel during Devcom, the warming up for Gamescom tomorrow. Punzel is a minimalistic cartoon-style point & click adventure that focuses on puzzle mechanics based on social interactions with a set of diverse characters and personalities presented in an innovative stylized GameToon format.
Damsel in distress?
In Punzel, you play the young princess who is captured in the evil Overlord’s castle tower. Instead of waiting on her prince charming to come to save her, she gets bored. Since there’s not much to do in the small tower, the little princess searches for ways to escape herself. In this unique point & click adventure, you’re tasked to find a way out of the tower but be warned, violence won’t get you anywhere.
As with any good point & click, the tips of what you need to do are right in front of you. By clicking on certain objects, you trigger small scenes revealing new information and useful objects. The main mechanic however is communicating with the others around you in order to form bonds of trust and gain new benefits.
Communicate your way to freedom
The first character I encountered was a grumpy evil minion who made sure I received some food whenever I knocked on my door. He wasn’t open for communication and ignored my cute little waves. Luckily for me, the raven on my balcony proved to be a more loyal friend. For some good food, the raven provided me with interesting objects and information which I could use to gain the trust of a more approachable guard.
Gaining the trust of the guard was presented in a fun little puzzle where you have to learn to read the emotions and desires of the guard. You could make some fun hand gestures and move closer or further away from the door. It was crucial to check the emotions of the guard and understand how it was feeling. Once you gained its trust through playful communication, the adventure continued. I loved this mechanic a lot since it really makes you think outside of the normal gameplay rules. If you want to try it for yourself, you can play the first chapter here.
Early conclusion:
Punzel is shaping up to become a fun and unique game. The gameplay mechanics go hand in hand with the gorgeously drawn world, which you can color to your liking. If you’re looking for something new, be sure to put it on your list!
