I have to admit to being a big fan of puzzle games, especially ones where the individual scenarios are compact and easy to pick up during a journey. Such games have seen an explosion in recent years as smart phones and tablets started to have both the screen resolution and processing power to make them viable gaming platforms.

Hairy Tales is a new 3D adventure game, from Crescent Moon Games and Arges Systems, based on puzzle solving. Like most of these transportable delights there is a paper thin story to get you into the game. It would appear that the inhabitants of this particular environment are not only overly blessed with facial hair, but their realm has undergone some sort of gloopy transformation, the whys and wherefores are never clearly explained, but then they only represent disposable frippery to get you into the game.

Much like similar games, each puzzle is represented by a single chapter, to progress each chapter has to be solved. The puzzle world consists of a number of hexagonal floating islands. The object is to get your hairy man to the finish; the problem with him is that he will only run in a straight line, a positive disadvantage when you’re floating in the sky.

Some of the islands have arrows on them and if your hairy gets to one of these he will change direction in line with the arrow. To further enhance this ability to direct your hairy, most of the islands can be moved and rotated, but not all, otherwise you’d just place the end hex next to the beginning.

There are other types of mini environments. Hexagonal’s with trees on them will make hairy reverse his direction. Others have combinations of fences and arrows to, hopefully, stop you run off into space. As you progress a number of the hexagonals will start off with environments which will kill your hairy, but if the hairy picks up the crystal, something he has to do each time anyway, these magically turn into helpful areas.

In the early stages of the game you get a good look at your options and, with a bit of rotating and moving islands, hairy gets to pick his crystal up and gets it to the home space. However by chapters five things start to get tricky. For a start, until you pick up the crystal the bad hexs don’t turn into something useful, the problem is that hairy doesn’t stop moving meaning you know have to think on your feet and change the parameters of your solution as it is happening.

Played over three worlds and seventy-two levels, the game even throws in boss levels for the hardy gamer. The worlds are bright and visually appealing. Hairy Tales does have a specific visual style, though I can’t see that putting many serious puzzlers off as the joy is in the puzzles. Given the parameters set up by the game all of the solutions are logical, even if the solution isn’t immediately obvious.

It has everything you could wish for in a puzzle game being both challenging and enjoyable to play. It even plays well in the larger environment of the PC.

9

Charles Packer