Paper Trail Review - Stunning Paper Worlds, Clever Puzzle Mechanics, and Unique Gameplay
Discover why Paper Trail is one of 2024’s best indie puzzle games. Explore beautiful paper worlds, fold your way through clever puzzles, and enjoy a relaxing yet emotional adventure.
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Game: Paper Trail
Studio: New Fangled Games
Publisher: New Fangled Games
Platforms: Played on Steam | Available on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Android
Completion Time: 5 /12 Hours
Price: $20 - Currently on Sale for $2 on SWITCH! 60% off on Steam Until April 26th 2025
Genre: Puzzle, Atmospheric, Exploration
✅ Steam Deck Verified
Hello everyone and welcome to the Good Game Lobby review of Paper Trail, one of the best puzzle games I've played, set in an atmospheric world filled with exploration, stunning art direction, and a whimsical soundtrack. Let’s get folding in my review!
Fold Your Way Into New Worlds
The story is about a young girl exploring a world that bends and folds space and time at her whim. She is an aspiring academic with a goal to get to university—creating paths and opening the closed-off world to reach her own main goal while assisting everyone she comes in contact with to see lost companions, solve complex issues, and lead the way. It’s an uplifting story with a positive message, all while folding into complex ways. There is a deeper story that follows you along the way that I do not want to spoil. It tugs at your heartstrings a bit, and I recommend experiencing it fresh.
Bend Backwards To Solve Puzzles
I’m going to be honest—for the gameplay, I was so excited to see that it had an easy assist mode. When I review games, either I am up late getting in time when my wife and son are sleeping, or I have to sneak in time during the day. It's tough to keep focus, so some tougher puzzles were made easier with this assist mode that gives you the folds and what order to do them in. This doesn't exactly give you the answer, but it points you in the right direction.
Also, I'm kind of crap at puzzles, so it was useful all around. The whole game of Paper Trail is based on bending the pages you are on to create new ways to move around the paper and solve puzzles. You can fold each side and corner in, revealing hidden origami collectibles or ways to move to another area or open doors. It’s pretty straightforward and increases in complexity the longer you play. You can turn on lights, which will then lead to bouncing them off mirrors, giving you a new path. Fold a corner and reveal a set of stairs, a new way to move a platform—all in smart and intricate ways that give you that aww feeling when you finally solve a puzzle.
In between the new areas you explore, you are treated to smaller connections of puzzles to get you started again. It’s nice that the story elements give you time to breathe before throwing another complex puzzle at you. The collectible origami really makes it fun to peek behind every fold.
A Cut Above The Fold
The visuals of Paper Trail are everything that brings this game to life. The illustrations of each new biome you explore have a distinct palette—waterways, a fall setting of lush orange vibes, and a dark dungeon-style theme in a hidden world. Its watercolor-styled look at times gives you a glimpse of new statues or foliage that is hidden behind each fold you make. Exploring each new chapter was exciting to see how the design would look and complement the story and characters you meet. One of my favorites was the Autumn chapter, which—though one of the shortest—just looked stunning in that color palette.
Relaxing Sounds Neatly Folded In
The sound of statues scraping the floor as you push and pull them around to solve puzzles, or the light beams bouncing off glass prisms, all have a delightful playfulness. The music is calm and relaxing, like the setting for the game. The only part of the game that isn’t relaxing is when it gets a bit difficult to solve a puzzle, but each rewarding new puzzle solve has a glimmering new auditory reward before moving on.
The soundtrack is instrumental throughout, with chimes and flowing, serenading, relaxing settings. You only hear singing in the song at the end during the credits, which is a beautiful song by the game’s music composer Claudie Mackula. It’s delightful, and the team has shared a short 30-second intro into the music-making for the game I wanted to share. Enjoy!
One more touch of the sound design I wanted to bring up is a conversation between the team’s community manager, Katie, and I believe the lead developer, Gonzalo, about how they designed the HD rumble in the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
It’s a wonderful insight I wasn’t even aware of in the design of the game. I did play it on PC but will pick it up on Switch to try out this feature!
A Must-Play Puzzle Adventure
Paper Trail is another absolutely stunning indie game to add to the best of 2024. I am sad to say I just wish I played it earlier, but it was worth the wait and solidified itself as a must-play for me. The artistically designed paper world, the unique folding mechanic for puzzle solving, vibrant colorful world, and dreamy soundtrack make for a fantastic game I highly recommend.
It took me roughly 5 ½ hours to complete it. It’s priced at $20, and if you are seeing this review the day of the post, it's on sale on Switch for $2… and 60% off on Steam right now for $8. It’s worth every penny, but for $2, it’s a steal. Deal ends April 26th!
It’s out now on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iPhone, Android and is Steam Deck Verified.
The key was provided by Press Engine on behalf of the studio Newfangled Games.
This looks like a great game!
But I fear for my protagonist if real life origami skills are reflected in the game...I'm terrible at it 😂
The protagonist's name is Paige (wink wink!). The lead developers are brothers, if I'm not wrong. The younger one (Frederick) is the artist, while the older one (Henry) is the director :) And 2$ for the game... The energy spent to grab the credit card is higher than the monetary expense! :o