Do you remember paper fortune tellers? Back in the day my friends and I would pour ourselves into making these. We thought our futures laid in the hands of a message behind a fold of paper. Looking back now I laugh, however what if that were true? What if our life’s journey depended on a folded piece of paper? 

Paper Trail is a narrative puzzle adventure about a girl waiting for her life to unfold, literally. In this top down game you play as Paige, who leaves home to begin university despite her family's reservations. 

You soon learn our protagonist has special powers that can fold and tear the beautiful pages of this paper landscape. Powers that unveil secrets and awaken Paige to the unknown world around her. 

Gameplay 

The folding mechanic in Paper Trail is something I've never seen before. Just like a regular piece of paper, each level has a front and backside. At any time you can see what is on the reverse. By folding corners, and sides you can create paths to aid in Paige's exit. A small caveat, you cannot fold a section over Paige, nor can you pull it from underneath her. Meaning, where you stand plays a huge role in your success. In addition the game integrates the use of statues, sliding platforms, locked gates and more to the growing formula, creating more challenges as the Paper Trail progresses. 

There were some puzzles in Paper Trail that had me absolutely baffled. I blame a lot of it on overthinking. I did restart some levels a few (hundred) times. A clean slate gave me a new perspective on how to take on the challenge. There's also a very handy hint button, that I might have used a few (hundred) times, that shares how you must fold the pages, but not the steps to fully complete the puzzle. It's forgiving for those who get stuck (me) but not too quick to give away too much. 

Art & Sound

I cannot say enough about how beautiful Paper Trail is. The artists really took the paper theme into consideration and melded the use of watercolor and printmaking with a hint of video game graphics, creating a uniquely beautiful piece of mixed media. 

The color and lighting have such a huge impact on the feel of Paper Trail. The blue hues when navigating a rainy forest, green and turquoise when traipsing through a swamp and the amber yellow spelunking some long lost ruins. Paired with the beautiful music, this game makes each level feel distinct and it's own. 

I did feel a slight disconnect from the music and the story. Although most of the interactions and story are jovial and overall amicable, the somberness that came from the melodies was not the overall tone of the game until much later.

I will say, one of my favorite parts of Paper Trail is the voices of the characters you meet along the way. Think of the way adults in Peanuts talk, with the "wah wah" of a  trombone murmur. Each character speaks with their own type of gibberish and pitch, which I found to be quite amusing.

Final Thoughts

Although Paper Trail is on the shorter side, I think the saying "less is more" bodes well here. I don't believe Paper Trail lacks because of its length, in fact I believe it’s what makes it shine. There's nothing worse than puzzles that seem to never end, and I feel we got a perfect bite, without it being too much.

From its uniquely styled aesthetics, to its fold mechanics Paper Trail has captured me. The storyline is moving, and every paint brush stroke enchantingly brings this masterpiece to life.

I had very high expectations for this game and the developers at Newfangled Games exceeded them greatly. Paper Trail is one game you must fold into your library.

Paper Trail is available March 21st on PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and Netflix Games.

Paper Trail was reviewed on PC. Early Access Code provided by the publisher.