Gorogoa is the perfect mix of story, gameplay, and aesthetic that all come together in order to form a truly beautiful experience. Between the simple but charming narrative, the creative and satisfying puzzle design, and the breathtaking hand-drawn artwork, Gorogoa is a wonderful puzzle game that will amaze all who choose to play it.
Rare are the games that can make us see the world a little differently; step outside and look around after playing Gorogoa and you'll realise it probably deserved that round of applause after all. [Issue#315, p.110]
Gorogoa crafts its inventive, sliding-tile puzzles and magical world with a graceful simplicity across a compact but fulfilling adventure. The excitement of solving each puzzle may be lost on a repeat playthrough, but its hand-drawn art and clever payoffs are no less satisfying to watch unfold again and again. Gorogoa manages to say so much without uttering a single word, endowing it with a mystery that invites a more attentive, thoughtful revisit — and one that I was more than happy to accept.
If you thrill in playing games that represent the sweat and tears of a developer, Gorogoa is a great game to purchase. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I found it supremely meditative.
Gorogoa’s artist and designer, Jason Roberts, clearly had a vision with this game and I applaud him and everyone else at developer Buried Signal for making it a reality. But I struggle to recommend this experience, because whatever emotions Gorogoa was hoping to convey, I simply did not feel them.