Game: Please, Touch the Artwork
Genre: Puzzle, Adventure, Education and Artistic.
System: Nintendo Switch, (also available on Steam Windows, Android, macOS).
Developer | Publisher: Thomas Waterzooi | Nakana.io
Age Rating: US Everyone | EU 3+
Price: USD $7.99 | UK £7.19 | EU €7,99
Release Date: September 3rd, 2022
Review code used, with many thanks to Nakana.io.
Like many kids, I was energetic and active, especially in places I was not supposed to, like museums. I would always want to touch that which I shouldn’t. I think many people can relate to that thought when seeing art presented in front of them, a thought of “I really want to touch that”, be that a painting, statue, or another type of artwork. But as I got older and my art appreciation evolved, that thought I had before as a kid changed as well with the years.
When looking at modern art, I started thinking “I definitely could do that” or “I have enough skills to create something similar to that”. Thomas Waterzooi wandered on these same thoughts and decided to make a game exploring his relationship with modern art. Please, Touch the Artwork is an artistic relaxing puzzle game that takes you on what feels like a digital interactive tour inside an art gallery. Different from a physical museum, there is one very important rule to follow and that is to touch the paintings!
Stylish Puzzler – A Little Bit About It
Please, Touch the Artwork is not any puzzle game made to challenge your rational and logical thinking. This game is more than that, even though its developer made it to explore his relationship with modern art, it touched more emotions on my playthrough than many others of the same genre that I have played in the past. Inspired by Piet Mondrian, a famous Dutch painter, Thomas Waterzooi created a way to interact with three of his paintings in this game.
With new creative mechanics and poetic stories inspired by Mondrian, Please, Touch the Artwork appeals not only to the artistic appreciation of the player or his/her relation with modern art. It also inspires with its relaxing and innovative way to interact with each painting on many levels. In my case, it made me wonder about those same questions he brings to the table when stating “…but anyone could have painted this!”
Unique Gameplay – Poetic, Bittersweet and Meaningful Stories
Please, Touch the Artwork presents three games combined into one. As you start playing, you encounter yourself at the front desk of an art gallery, where you start talking to a sympathetic employee who offers you all kinds of information. From basic definitions like “What is a museum?” to various quotes said by Mondrian, he introduces you to the game’s vibe, or, of course, you can ask him to take you directly to the game. I do recommend you exhaust his dialogue with everything he has to say since it is quite interesting and helps with your immersion into this digital gallery.
When I started playing this game, I honestly did not research much about it before trying it for the first time and I don’t regret it at all. Every mechanic that was put into each puzzle amazed me but for different reasons than other puzzle games usually do. Whenever I thought I understood exactly how everything worked and where it was going, I realized a new surprise was waiting for me at the next level. I experienced unexpected giggles from clever narrative bits and deeper moments that only certain emotional texts or poems would generate in me. It is worth experiencing it without knowing about it beforehand, but in case you do want to know what you are getting into, I’ll summarize the three puzzles in the following sections. Let us begin the tour.
First, there was De Stijl (The Style)
After leaving the front desk section, you can move to the gallery where you find the first puzzle, inspired by the painting De Stijl. Starting with a biblical story of the creation of everything, which is hilariously narrated, abstract art is introduced into the world. In this section, the player needs to recreate certain paintings with lines and colors using intuitive mechanics that were quite easy to learn.
Let’s Break the Distance – Boogie Woogie
Without having completed all the levels in the previous section, you can already try out the next painting in the gallery inspired by Boogie Woogie. After a good laugh and a challenging start with the first puzzle, Boogie Woogie touched quite a few emotions with their story. Wanting to be together, in a chaotic and rapidly growing world with obstacles in between, Woogie wants to reach Boogie but needs the player’s help to do so.
After every level or sometimes a couple of them, you receive small pieces of their story. More and more you get hooked and inspired by Boogie Woogie, even in the later levels when it gets challenging, still never tedious or upsetting.
Everyone Has Something to Say – New York City
Lastly in the gallery, inspired by the painting called New York City, this last puzzle takes you to (surprise surprise) New York City! This is maybe the puzzle that had me intrigued the most. Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, starting with excitement and passing through homesickness and nostalgia feelings, the player has to move around the big apple roads in what seems like a maze.
What made this section so intriguing and special for me was the collectible letters around the city. As you move around New York craziness, you collect little squares, each being a letter that was needed to form a piece of a poem. Completing this poem, by collecting these letters in such an artistic complex city filled me with emotions I did not expect to have in any puzzler. Piece by piece, it gained more meaning as it got more concrete.
Amazing Accessibility – Balance Between Zen and Challenge
Color-blind mode is available so everyone can enjoy this experience. It is quite a simple game where there are no skills needed. The puzzles are randomly generated every time you try a level again, making it a game easy to replay and harder to get bored or acquainted with its solutions.
It had me perplexed when I realized I could only play it in the handheld mode on the switch because it can only be played with the touch screen. Later in the game, I realized it was not something negative but something that added to its gameplay and uniqueness. Other than that, it is a game that doesn’t demand perfection or punishes the player in any way. It doesn’t set a time limit for the puzzles and you have hints if you get stuck so you can advance if you wish. This is a game to enjoy and appreciate and relax as well, but if you look for a challenge, you might as well find it, even if it is not required from you.
Something I would highly recommend as well when playing Please, Touch the Artwork is to follow its advice on using headphones when playing. Its music is environmentally comforting and soothing, having jazz in certain moments or just some rain and traffic sound in the background, they immersed me in each scenario.
Conclusion – Inspired by One to Inspire Many
Please, Touch the Artwork has its limitations, which probably will be received differently by players, but the audience of these types of games will surely find enjoyment in this one in particular. With intuitive and creative mechanics, beautiful jazzy atmospheric music and engaging narrative, this game offers you a delightful experience that few puzzlers do.
Other than all those factors that I just mentioned, the aspects I valued the most in this game were the Educational facts, quotes, stories and its inspiring method to inspire others. Want it or not, modern art has an effect on our society and influences our surroundings. Art will do that and more. If you enjoy artistic/ puzzle games, relaxing no-pressure challenges or you simply are curious about art but not into physical museums, I invite you into this worthwhile experience.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.
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