Black Tower Enigma: Short Review

     I came across this in late April when Ogre Pixel announced the game was free to play.  It was a genuine treat to find as it isn't like many games out there.  Black Tower Enigma is something very special in that it is a tightly knit puzzle game with a tremendous amount of story crammed into a tiny package.

     Players take on the role of Wigo, an orc whose wife had the misfortune of putting on a magic dress gifted to her by a mysterious fairy.  The dress caused her to be lifted high into the sky and towards the Black Tower.  So he journeys to the tower to free his stolen bride.

     Players must ascend the tower, floor by floor, by solving puzzles through the riddles contained in books strewn about the archives in each floor.  Reading the books provide both hints and clues to finding solutions to get to the next levels, and sometimes hints are left on previous floors (all read books are accessible in the pause menu).  In addition, the the books also give players plenty of back story with some history of Wigo's world.  There are tales of elves and dwarves, and the wizards inhabiting the land to add a surprising amount of depth to the small game making it feel much larger than it is.

     None of the puzzles are overly taxing for those with a keen interest in reading the clues, but they aren't too easy either.  They maintain that perfect middle ground of challenge, and keep players interested without frustration.  There's plenty of items to interact with, but finding the correct solution requires a specific answer to each floor's riddle, necessitating a certain order at times.  So each solution adds just a little extra satisfaction because it takes wits and not sheer guesswork to get to the next level.

     Black Tower Enigma is a tremendous little gem, and there aren't many games that are nearly as captivating as this is.  It's a short and ingenious tale loaded with tricky puzzles and a brilliant story that can be beaten in about an hour.  The story even ends with what could very well be a hint for a follow up game or sequel involving a dead giant.  Ogre Pixel's own blog hinted at a possible future installment with this little gem of a title, After Black Tower Enigma.  After playing through this, I would gladly buy a sequel.  Hopefully it'll be much lengthier, but honestly, with this level of quality, I wouldn't mind another short game.

     Black Tower Enigma is free on [ Google Play ] [ iOS ] [ PC, MAC, Linux ]