Tengami

Developer: Nyamyam | Publisher: Nyamyam | Release Date: 2014 | Genre: Indie / Adventure / Puzzle / Casual | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam / itch.io

The lead character in Tengami might be a samurai, but don’t expect to hack and slash your way through this game. Instead, the unnamed samurai appears to be on a quest to acquire the sakura blossoms of a dying tree to restore it. Standing between him and his goal is a series of obstacles in the form of puzzles, not foes. The result is a casual, relaxing experience made even better by the unique visual style used.

Tengami was released initially on iOS and later on the Wii U, but you will be disappointed if you have already played these versions and expect more from the PC release. However, newcomers are in for a treat as even without any changes, Tengami is a game with lots of style and a unique atmosphere. This is due to the visuals designed to look like a Japanese pop-up book. The journey of your samurai will take you through a forest, across seasons, and even over the ocean, with appropriate palette changes for each scene. The traditional Japanese style illustrations look great and form an integral part of the gameplay. As you walk through the multi-layered landscapes of sharp lines and pastel colors, marked hotspots invite you to pull, slide, and drag elements to solve puzzles. You might be required to manipulate the scenery to create a path or spot symbols that would otherwise be obscured from your view. Except for one or two puzzles, the solutions are always straightforward, which cuts down on any frustration, and a built-in hint system enables players of any skill level to complete the game. However, we would have liked to see more done with this unique concept.

It is not just the visuals that are impressive, but the moody soundtrack by David Wise as well. The soundtrack effectively uses traditional Japanese instruments to create an immersive atmosphere, so be sure to play this game with headphones on and the volume up high. The sound effects in Tengami are also spot on, from the rustling of wind through trees to water flowing and wolves howling. There is no speech in the game, but this fits in well with the tranquil nature of the whole experience. In fact, beyond a haiku for each level you complete, there is no text in the game to further the storyline, which makes it open to interpretation. The game’s relaxing nature, unique visuals, and great soundtrack made it feel like we were watching a dream of a samurai sleeping underneath a Sakura tree unfolding.

Although designed with touchscreen devices in mind, Tengami is still very playable using a mouse. You point and click where you want your samurai to move and click and drag to interact with the game world. Since all hotspots are clearly marked, you will rarely be confused about what to do in order to proceed. The character movement felt slower than some people might be used to, as you cannot run in this game, but it gives you enough time to soak in the atmosphere of each screen.

Tengami is definitely a game where you should take your time playing, as the whole experience will be over in less than two hours. There are four achievements, but these are all tied to progressing through the game and cannot be missed, so there is very little replay value. Apart from its short length and a few instances where backtracking was required, we enjoyed the experience of playing Tengami. However, it won’t appeal to players who demand plenty of action from their games.

The relaxing nature of Tengami makes it a great choice for when you feel like dipping into something that won’t require a considerable investment in time or effort. The gameplay suits mobile devices better, but it still looks great and plays well on PC. If you base value for money on how long it takes you to complete a game instead of the actual experience, you might want to wait for a price drop. However, if you want something a little different from the usual retro platformer and role-playing games that are so prevalent lately, you can do far worse than Tengami.