Game Reviews

Finding Teddy

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| Finding Teddy
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Finding Teddy
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| Finding Teddy

In simple terms, Finding Teddy is a point-and-click adventure. But this is a game that does so few things simply that it'd seem churlish to try and describe it in that way. It enjoys wrapping you up in confusion and mysteries almost as much as it enjoys showing you your grisly demise.

This is pointing and clicking with the introspection and clumsy narrative stripped away. There's no inner monologue here - just digital riddles designed to flummox and confound, and a little girl who's a dab hand at whistling.

Teddy bear's been nicked

The game begins with the main character, a small monochrome girl, having her teddy stolen by what looks like the leg of an enormous spider. Being young and adventurous she follows the leg into the wardrobe whence it came. And that's where you come in.

You're transported into a stunning pixel world that's populated by disgruntled creatures, singing frogs, and a helpful fly who wears a top hat. None of them speaks, and it's up to you to follow the game's twisted logic to solve the puzzles it sets you.

Everything is split into different screens, and the controls are as easy as tapping where you want to go. Leave the young girl still for long enough and the game will highlight objects of interest and the ways you can leave the screen you're on.

Music plays an important role, and you can drag a strange stave down from the top of the screen to bash out a tune. These tunes are usually the reward for solving a puzzle, and they let you placate or enchant the large animals you'll find blocking your path.

Grim tales

Finding Teddy is certainly a different sort of experience, and for some that's going to be off-putting. There are times when you'll find yourself unsure what to do next, and the game's refusal to hold your hand or point you in the right path can be annoying.

But if you're willing to step off the beaten track for a while Finding Teddy offers an intriguing, mesmerising adventure that forces you to think in strange new ways. Just be prepared for a lot of back-tracking, head-scratching, and outbursts of profanity along the way.

Finding Teddy

Finding Teddy's hands-off approach will likely be too much for many to take, but there's an intriguing and enthralling point-and-click adventure here that's just waiting to be discovered
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Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.