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All That Remains: Part 1 review - A puzzler that's still quite puzzling

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All That Remains: Part 1 review - A puzzler that's still quite puzzling

Glitch Games doesn't shy away from putting complex puzzles in the hands of its players, and that's something that makes those titles stand out a little.

Like The Forgotten Room, All That Remains is a hidden object/escape the room-style puzzler where you're given a bunch of objects to find, a ton of codes to crack, and not that much room to do it in.

Get to the bunker

After the world around you erupts into chaos, you start the game off by getting dragged into a bunker by your dear ol' dad. You're then woken by your sister over the radio as she tells you your dad didn't make it home to get her. Cue - er - you.

With Dad out of the picture for now, it's your job to find a way out of the bunker to save your sister.

Of course, the place looks impenetrable, but apparently it has its weak points should either sibling find themselves trapped in there. So, the exploration begins.

Yes, the story's a walking cliche, but realistically you're in it for the challenge of escaping, whether the world's being affected by an air-born toxin or by giant, flying crab monsters in dresses.

From post-it notes and mechanisms to weird symbols on the walls, everything you need to escape is within reach. You've just got to have the common sense to find it and figure it out.

I say that like it's soooo easy, but it's not. The game offers up quite a strong challenge, which in turn makes you do a little fist pump when you get something right.

The addition of the camera feature is a godsend. Now whenever you see something interesting you can take a picture of it and carry it with you, rather than having to backtrack to where you think the clue was when you need it.

The visuals are pretty and the level designs are effective, using the right amount of light and shade, and some clever positioning, to draw your eye to a clue.

Audio-wise, there's enough of a background track to avoid you sitting in silence but it's not complex enough for you to pay any real attention to it - and that's a good thing. It keeps you focused.

In a sense, All That Remains does struggle in some of the same places thart The Forgotten Room did. The puzzles, while challenging, could be too difficult for some gamers.

A hint system might be a useful addition, but only to avoid the frustration when you get really, really stuck.

Though the vocal narrative is a nice touch there are areas where it's a little random and jarring, and that breaks you out of the immersion.

The world's going to hell

The game expects to look under the surface detail and read between the lines, and sometimes you'll kick yourself when you figure out the answer.

Overall, All That Remains: Part 1 is a complex and entertaining puzzler which certainly doesn't hold your hand throughout. We'll just have to wait and see what Part 2 has to offer.

All That Remains: Part 1 review - A puzzler that's still quite puzzling

All That Remains: Part 1 is an 'escape the room'-style puzzler that offers up a decent challenge
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Emily Sowden
Emily Sowden
Emily is Pocket Gamer's News Editor and writes about all kinds of game-related things. She needs coffee to function and begrudgingly loves her Switch more than she lets on.