'Tangle Tower (2019)' is a point-and-click detective game in which Detective Grimoire and his partner, Sally, investigate the death of a young woman who appears to have been stabbed by the painting she was in the midst of completing. It's a really enjoyable experience with a heavy focus on narrative. It's really well-written. As you progress through the game and interact with its varied cast, you uncover a complex web of historical mysteries, large personalities, diverse relationships and hidden agendas. It's all highly compelling. This is primarily because every character feels well-rounded and, well, 'real'; they're more than just colourful suspects, they're living people with proper personalities. The voice cast are all absolutely phenomenal, breathing nuanced life into each and every on-screen role. Furthermore, the game has astoundingly good animation which, with just a few gestures for each major player, conveys exactly who everybody is in an incredibly aesthetically pleasing way. The whole art style is great, really. The visual design cements you in a bright, visually distinct world that's a pleasure to explore. The mechanics of the game mainly consist of collecting clues and figuring out what they mean. There's only a little bit of 'pixel hunting' and the game provides plenty of clues if you're at a loss as to where to look next. Besides, most of the hardest-to-find items are hidden in darker areas, so increasing your display's brightness will usually do the trick. The game also has more traditional puzzles, which are all varied and enjoyable. The meat of the experience really is in conversing with its characters, though. If something doesn't quite line up, you must question your suspect harder and provide evidence to prove they're lying. This triggers a mini-game that allows you to formulate your speculation, in a 'fill in the blanks' sort of way, without just handing it to you on a platter. More often than not, this is highly satisfying and encourages you to think about what the things you've found might actually mean (instead of just finding them and allowing the game to tell you what they mean later). It's a solid system that emulates the experience of actual detective work while still feeling like a puzzle. Of course, the dialogue is what drives all of this. The sheer amount of it is impressive, actually. As is, of course, its quality; the story really is incredibly compelling. In the end, this is an approachable and charming detective game. It's gorgeous to look at - I don't think I've gushed enough about its glorious animation, to be honest - and it's highly engaging. It's an entertaining experience right from the start. 8/10
