GNOG, by developer KO-OP and publisher Double Fine Presents, is a whimsical puzzle game with amazing visuals and sounds. The puzzles are decently challenging and make the game well worth its low price tag of $9.99. I never felt stuck to the point of giving up and googling the answers to the puzzles because for better or worse if I click around on enough objects I would find the answer. The game’s controls are pretty simple. Only one controller is used to click everything in the game and you physically turn the controller to turn dials and levers. I think the game could definitely implement the other controller in some way to add some complexity to the puzzles, but that was not necessary. I found the puzzles to have a great balance between difficult and easy at times. Once I began to understand how a certain puzzle operated, I would fly through the level, but that always took time.
This game is simple and complex at the same time. The entire game consists of floating boxes that contain multi-layered puzzles in them with removable panels and challenging tasks. Every level is oriented around a theme. Some of those themes include cooking, space travel, a swamp, or even a multi-level house. The objectives in each of these levels vary, which makes the gameplay consistently entertaining and not redundant. Getting stuck was never really too big of an issue because simply moving the controller around different parts of the puzzle box would reveal some kind of clue or new intractable object. By the end of some of the puzzles I was physically celebrating as the victory music began to play and the puzzle starting dancing and singing because the puzzle itself had been especially challenging.
In total, there is about two hours of gameplay with nine puzzles, but I see no reason as to why there cannot be more in the future. There is no storyline to be assessed in this review because each puzzle is independent of one another. Should the developers choose to create more puzzles this game will only continue to get better. There is not much replayability in these levels, however, because once you solve a puzzle it is hard to forget how you solved it. I enjoyed every second I spent in this game, and I am not very good at solving puzzles. The little animations that accompany the interactive pieces of each puzzle and sound design were really terrific and kept the game enjoyable.
The graphics were consistently vibrant and high quality. I never experienced any technical issues besides not being able to click certain objects, but those were solved with a simple second attempt. I enjoyed the slow pace that this game operates in. It does not rush you to complete any of the levels. Instead, the levels invite you to stay in them with calming music and interesting ambiances. Although I would not play through certain puzzles again because there is nothing more to be gained from them, I would certainly revisit the worlds that they are placed in. The puzzle box is floating in front of you the whole time, but the space around you is designed to match the theme of the puzzle. Overall, it was a very relaxing and engaging virtual reality experience.
Rating: 8/10
Check Out the GNOG Launch Trailer:
GNOG is available for PC and Mac with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift support, via Steam, Oculus Store, Itch.io, and GOG.
Steam VR
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Overall Score - 8/108/10
I've always been a huge fan of video games and their ability to completely immerse the player in their world. I got my start in FPS games like Halo, but I have branched into nearly every area. My current fascination is surrounding VR and how it completely changes one's gaming experience.
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