Puzzle Agent

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 82
  3. Negative: 6 out of 82

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  1. JonesR
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    Telltale Games delivers yet another masterpiece with Puzzle Agent--a charming puzzle adventure with a mildly amusing story about an eraser shortage. As always with Telltale, voice acting is top notch, but this time they use crayon style graphics to set up a casual atmosphere that really gives this game a leisurely feel. Each puzzle is self-contained so there are no multi-level puzzles. ItTelltale Games delivers yet another masterpiece with Puzzle Agent--a charming puzzle adventure with a mildly amusing story about an eraser shortage. As always with Telltale, voice acting is top notch, but this time they use crayon style graphics to set up a casual atmosphere that really gives this game a leisurely feel. Each puzzle is self-contained so there are no multi-level puzzles. It differs from traditional point-and-click puzzle adventures where you usually have to find several items or perform a specific sequence of actions before you can advance. Most of the puzzles are on the easy side, but they do throw in a few brainteasers that aren't obvious at first. There is a hint system which, if used, lowers your ranking for that specific puzzle, same as if you submit a wrong answer--although it is completely casual so there is really no reason to care about rank anyway. Puzzle gamers will certainly enjoy this.… Expand
  2. cleverboy
    Apr 28, 2013
    8
    Puzzles in this game are actually pretty simple and not challenging at all, but the plot is really good. you might finish it in one sitting just to find out what happens next. it's a pretty short game (1~2 hours) and low replay value, it's $5 currently on steam, so i don't know if i can recommend it for that price because it's so short, but if you can grab it on steam sale, definitelyPuzzles in this game are actually pretty simple and not challenging at all, but the plot is really good. you might finish it in one sitting just to find out what happens next. it's a pretty short game (1~2 hours) and low replay value, it's $5 currently on steam, so i don't know if i can recommend it for that price because it's so short, but if you can grab it on steam sale, definitely worth checking out.… Expand
  3. AboveTheNest
    Sep 11, 2010
    6
    Puzzle Agent is apparently the first of some new "pilot project" from Telltale to test new kinds of gaming, and while the hand-drawn imagery has its own undeniable charm, the game suffers in on particular other way: It's WAY too short!

    The story of FBI agent Nelson Tethers, and his investigation in the quiet town of Scoggins is interesting, if a bit hard to understand at times. You    Puzzle Agent is apparently the first of some new "pilot project" from Telltale to test new kinds of gaming, and while the hand-drawn imagery has its own undeniable charm, the game suffers in on particular other way: It's WAY too short!

    The story of FBI agent Nelson Tethers, and his investigation in the quiet town of Scoggins is interesting, if a bit hard to understand at times. You immediately get the feeling that something isn't right in this town, but when the game ends, you still don't really know what happened, and that's highly unsatisfying. The eerie music helps the atmosphere, and along with the unique graphics at times scares the **** out of you.

    The puzzles themselves are pretty decent, and range from "ahhhh.... yes of course!" to "how the hell was I supposed to know that?!" Luckily, you have a hint system which often provides relevant clues without giving away the solution.

    In the end, Puzzle Agent is a fun little game with unique graphics, nice music and an intriguing, if ultimately unsatisfying, story. But it's simply too short to be worth the money, which is a shame.    … Expand
  4. GolovA
    Oct 20, 2012
    6
    Nothing much to say about this game: it's extremely short - i don't know why it was divided into 2 parts (to make more money?): i've finished it in 2 hours (if even that). The puzzles are boring (it is not an Quest or Adventure game - don't be fooled), just what it says - a puzzler. The hints are basically unlimited and rightly so - i could really not get several puzzles at all. AT ALL!Nothing much to say about this game: it's extremely short - i don't know why it was divided into 2 parts (to make more money?): i've finished it in 2 hours (if even that). The puzzles are boring (it is not an Quest or Adventure game - don't be fooled), just what it says - a puzzler. The hints are basically unlimited and rightly so - i could really not get several puzzles at all. AT ALL! There was no logic behind them.
    The only thing that kept me going through the game was the cartoon and the story. I will not say that the story is great - but it has this suspense to it, the humor, and lots of potential - which, unfortunately, is never realized.
    The voice-over is not bad. The characters are ok too.
    A really mediocre, short, and not really fun game.    … Expand
  5. Keromyaou
    Jan 10, 2012
    7
    A fun little game. Most of the puzzles are logical. I couldn't fully understand the point of one or two puzzles because of ambiguity of explanation about problems in these puzzles. But anyway I solved all the puzzles without using hints including these ambiguous ones without much hustles. Overall storyline is interesting and intriguing, making you to feel like buying a sequel to see whatA fun little game. Most of the puzzles are logical. I couldn't fully understand the point of one or two puzzles because of ambiguity of explanation about problems in these puzzles. But anyway I solved all the puzzles without using hints including these ambiguous ones without much hustles. Overall storyline is interesting and intriguing, making you to feel like buying a sequel to see what will happen next after the ending of the story in this game. The main problem here is that it is too short for $9.99 and the replayability is not much. I solved all the puzzles in less than two hours. Since I bought it with 60% discount, it might be OK with me. I suggest you to get this game when it is on sale.… Expand
  6. DantheMan
    Mar 18, 2011
    7
    This is a fun little game that suffers from poor puzzle directions. What I mean by that is that not all the information that's necessary to complete a puzzle is given in the direction and the rules. Sometimes, the information even contradicts itself. You'll read one thing in the rule and another thing in the directions leaving you with no choice but to do the hints in an attempt toThis is a fun little game that suffers from poor puzzle directions. What I mean by that is that not all the information that's necessary to complete a puzzle is given in the direction and the rules. Sometimes, the information even contradicts itself. You'll read one thing in the rule and another thing in the directions leaving you with no choice but to do the hints in an attempt to figure out what the objective of the puzzle actually is. This, to me, is just a sign of poor quality control/proofreading. If you just accept the fact that you won't get a perfect score the first time through and focus on enjoying the story this game, while short, can be rewarding. It's a fun story that does a good job of setting an atmosphere for the game.

    Provided they fix quality control issues this could be the beginning of a fun series.    … Expand
  7. Ripost
    Jan 3, 2012
    2
    Vaguely interesting game, if you like puzzles. The story is humorous, the art appealing, and the ease of dropping into the game and out of it was nice. However, the puzzles leave a lot to be desired, either being way too easy to be worth it, or having several non-unique answers, and for reasons of its own not accepting the one it was given. The end (which came WAY too early, we mightVaguely interesting game, if you like puzzles. The story is humorous, the art appealing, and the ease of dropping into the game and out of it was nice. However, the puzzles leave a lot to be desired, either being way too easy to be worth it, or having several non-unique answers, and for reasons of its own not accepting the one it was given. The end (which came WAY too early, we might have spent 2 hours on the game, max) left my wife sputtering, as you were just getting into the plot. Should have been called Puzzle Agent, part 1, to make it obvious that there was not even the vaguest resemblance of a conclusion at the end of it. Not recommended.… Expand
  8. omastar444
    Jan 2, 2012
    6
    A nice story, music, and art tries to hold this story based puzzle game together but sadly the puzzles and length hold it back. The puzzle tend to be either too easy or not contain a large part of the information needed. Thou the length is that part that really kills it. I was able to finish in an hour and a half. And the end is a cliff hanger that seems like it's intended to sell theA nice story, music, and art tries to hold this story based puzzle game together but sadly the puzzles and length hold it back. The puzzle tend to be either too easy or not contain a large part of the information needed. Thou the length is that part that really kills it. I was able to finish in an hour and a half. And the end is a cliff hanger that seems like it's intended to sell the sequel. While you might find it enjoyable overall, with the problems, I wouldn't buy it unless it's on sale.… Expand
  9. FreddySlice9
    Oct 3, 2012
    8
    Puzzle Agent is a solid puzzle game with a unique setting and good sense of humor. Each of the puzzles is stand alone, so you wont have to go pixel hunting like you do with other puzzle games. The instructions are adequate, as figuring out the rules to the game is part of the challenge. My only complaints would be the games short length and the level of difficulty. Most players who arePuzzle Agent is a solid puzzle game with a unique setting and good sense of humor. Each of the puzzles is stand alone, so you wont have to go pixel hunting like you do with other puzzle games. The instructions are adequate, as figuring out the rules to the game is part of the challenge. My only complaints would be the games short length and the level of difficulty. Most players who are familiar with genre won't be tempted to click on the hint button and will get a perfect score without too much difficulty.… Expand
  10. UjuidarEhcram
    Jul 28, 2012
    4
    Puzzle Agent is a puzzle game, much like the Professor Layton series. Naturally, being a Telltale game, the story is pretty interesting and fairly goofy. It's short; I completed it in 3 hours. However, the tragedy of this game is that it's a puzzle game with sub-par puzzle gameplay.

    Several of the puzzles are very poorly made. They're ambiguous, and you need to make odd assumptions    Puzzle Agent is a puzzle game, much like the Professor Layton series. Naturally, being a Telltale game, the story is pretty interesting and fairly goofy. It's short; I completed it in 3 hours. However, the tragedy of this game is that it's a puzzle game with sub-par puzzle gameplay.

    Several of the puzzles are very poorly made. They're ambiguous, and you need to make odd assumptions about the puzzles for them to make any sense. Most of the rest of the puzzles are dead simple. There are one or two genuinely difficult puzzles, but it's hard to identify them among the poorly-made ones, and you just start assuming that they didn't tell you enough on every hard puzzle. It's really just a sign of incredibly careless puzzle design, and it would make Professor Layton cry. The puzzle's solution, as described by the "How?" button, almost never actually describes the solution.

    Ultimately, I can recommend the game's short story, but it's sure to piss off any puzzle enthusiasts. Try not to pay any money for this one... should be easy since Telltale loves giving it away.    … Expand
  11. AWG
    Aug 14, 2013
    7
    Nice and original game even if it's very short: bravo Telltale!
  12. PooPooPerson
    Jul 1, 2013
    7
    There's a mix of good and bad puzzles in here. With the good ones you'll feel pretty clever after a good bit of head scratching. The bad ones end up just feeling tedious. The jigsaw puzzles, for example, are mostly solved by dragging pieces atop each other at random and hoping they "snap" (signalling a proper fit). Some of the other puzzles can be frustrating in that the directions orThere's a mix of good and bad puzzles in here. With the good ones you'll feel pretty clever after a good bit of head scratching. The bad ones end up just feeling tedious. The jigsaw puzzles, for example, are mostly solved by dragging pieces atop each other at random and hoping they "snap" (signalling a proper fit). Some of the other puzzles can be frustrating in that the directions or rules are poorly defined. Aside from the puzzles, the graphical style (which looks like crayon drawings) is really fun to look at, and the voice acting is tip top.… Expand
  13. markwhitton
    Nov 20, 2013
    6
    Although I played the series backwards I still enjoyed both games… Well, to a certain degree! There’s something witty, clever and intriguing about the games (interactive puzzle stories) but they certainly do need to keep these kind of game short; as you quickly find yourself losing interest and growing tired of all the on-goings! I personally love the animation style and Agent Tethers is aAlthough I played the series backwards I still enjoyed both games… Well, to a certain degree! There’s something witty, clever and intriguing about the games (interactive puzzle stories) but they certainly do need to keep these kind of game short; as you quickly find yourself losing interest and growing tired of all the on-goings! I personally love the animation style and Agent Tethers is a fantastic character; but sometimes I just feel like the games could have been, I don’t know, more! From personal opinion I feel Puzzle Agent 2 actually has the slight edge on Puzzle Agent 1, whether that’s because I played that one first and it was fresher but I just enjoyed that one the best!… Expand
  14. thingamajiggly
    Jun 21, 2014
    10
    My boyfriend and I loved this game! It has a fun story, its full of jokes, and has this ambient mystery vibe. Seriously, it's easy to get startled! I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys puzzles and mysteries.
  15. bluebeardtattoo
    Jul 21, 2019
    7
    Прикольный набор головоломок в который вплели простую но интересную сюжетную линию, которая напоминает Фарго и Твин Пикс одновременно. Из плюсов можно отметить рисовку, музыкальное сопровождение и завязка сюжета. А вот концовка игры мне показалась смазанной и мягко говоря запоротой. Сами головоломки были не плохие, но их было крайне мало, а в некоторых были не до конца понятны задачиПрикольный набор головоломок в который вплели простую но интересную сюжетную линию, которая напоминает Фарго и Твин Пикс одновременно. Из плюсов можно отметить рисовку, музыкальное сопровождение и завязка сюжета. А вот концовка игры мне показалась смазанной и мягко говоря запоротой. Сами головоломки были не плохие, но их было крайне мало, а в некоторых были не до конца понятны задачи (возможно это издержки русской адаптации). Ну в целом игруля норм.… Expand
  16. PanMrkvicka
    Feb 12, 2020
    7
    I enjoyed this a lot and I didnt expect that at all I thought I would stop playing after a while but I finished it and loved the story. Puzzles are too simple sadly.

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best PC Game of 2010
83
#83 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
78
#78 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. GamingXP
    Mar 18, 2011
    83
    With its great graphic style and the mysterious, captivating music, we are led through FBI-Agent Nelson Tether's awesome story. The various characters, the abrupt story twists and the numerous puzzles, are combined a great game, which hopefully continues.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    70
    A promising start to an atmospheric series, ironically let down by its puzzles. [Sept 2010, p.63]
  3. PC Gamer UK
    74
    The humour, too, is a little underplayed. [Sept 2010, p.95]
See all critic reviews »