Game: Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale
Genre: Puzzle, Family Friendly
System: Steam (also on Nintendo Switch & Xbox One)
Developers | Publishers: GrimTalin
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $9.99 | UK £8.99 | EU € 9,99
Release Date: May 28th, 2021
Review code used, with many thanks to GrimTalin
Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale a puzzle game with a rhyming story is being released on Steam, Switch and Xbox One. I’ve had the opportunity to try out the Steam version of the game recently, lets see what its about.
Labyrinth Puzzle
Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale is a relaxing puzzle game, set in a colourful and vibrant world. You follow the story of a brave princess striving for freedom and adventure when everyone around her tries to keep her in line with the status quo.
Roll the Ball
The game starts with a few helpful hint levels to show you what to do. You have to complete the puzzle by rolling the ball around the labyrinth style board and collect all the collectables within a set number of moves.
Sounds pretty easy which it is at the start of the game then the challenge goes up and you start getting stuck. But never fear, you can undo your moves on the board and try again. You can also make use of the hint system that the game provides, an arrow will show you which way to roll the ball
Collect Blue Gems
As you play you’ll be collecting feathers and then gold. There are also Blue Gems to collect but collecting these depends on how well you do at finishing the level. You will receive one, two or three blue gems depending on how well you do in the puzzle. You’ll find yourself replaying levels to get three gems as the gems are needed to unlock further chapters. Better get good at solving the puzzles otherwise you will be stuck on chapter one forever.
Mechanics at Play
In each level, there are mechanics at play to either help or hinder your progress. You can activate statues, which will add more coins to the board to collect. In the later levels, you’ll be rotating bridges, avoiding spikes, moving blocks, spinning fireballs, and hitting arrows that change the path of the ball. It’s a good variety of mechanics placed into the game to keep it fresh and interesting as you play.
This is a no-pressure puzzle game, there isn’t a timer ticking down which is great. That doesn’t mean it is not a game without a challenge, as it can be challenging in places. Some levels you will finish in seconds others will have you pondering over what move to make. Take a break and come back to it later and you’ll probably solve the puzzle you have struggled over in a few seconds.
Story, Visuals and More
The fairy tale story is fun if a little bizarre. It’s told to you in rhyme along the bottom of the game screen where the text appears. The game is fully voice acted, and this adds to the fairy tale atmosphere of the game.
Visually Long Ago: A Puzzle Tale is lovely, a mixture of bright colours and muted shades. The top-down view is perfect to see all of the puzzle areas at once. While you are playing a calming soundtrack helps to keep you calm as you once again restart the same level.
The game controls either via the keyboard and mouse with just a few keys presses. Or you can play the game with a controller. Both worked equally as well when I tried them out.
Conclusion
There is plenty of stages to complete with 80 puzzles across five chapters and two different modes, there is a lot to keep you busy. As each new chapter adds unique game mechanics it keeps it fresh and interesting. Be prepared for a few hair-pulling frustrating moments. This is not an easy game, just don’t pull too hard as it hurts!
Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot 
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