A Fold Apart

A Fold Apart brings you into a personal and deep story. It’s a story that invites you into a deep and meaningful relationship between two characters. It’s a game that’s real, and that’s why I love it.

77%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, stability

79% User Score Based on 66 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 24 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $3.01

Buy NowGet on Steam$9.99

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About

"A Fold Apart" is a narrative-driven puzzle game that explores the emotional trials of a long-distance relationship. Players solve folding puzzles to bring separated characters together while navigating their personal challenges. It's a heartfelt story presented in a unique, origami-inspired format.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+13

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

story33 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and beautiful music that enhances the emotional experience.
The unique folding puzzle mechanics are engaging and provide a fresh take on puzzle-solving.
The story effectively captures the struggles of a long-distance relationship, making it relatable for many players.

The game is quite short, with many players feeling it doesn't justify the price tag.
The story can feel repetitive and overly dramatic at times, which may detract from the overall experience.
Some players found the controls and movement to be slow and frustrating, impacting the gameplay flow.

story
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The story of the game is centered around a long-distance relationship, exploring themes of love, communication, and emotional struggles, which resonates with many players. However, opinions are divided; while some find the narrative heartfelt and relatable, others criticize it for being slow, repetitive, and lacking depth. Overall, the integration of story and puzzle mechanics is praised, but the execution of the plot leaves some players wanting more.
- “A Fold Apart is a beautiful though short, story-driven puzzle adventure about the struggles between two lovers to maintain their relationship despite being hundreds of miles apart.”
- “The story emphasizes a lot on the importance of good communication and the dilemma between lovers when it comes to balancing the needs of your significant other and a work that you love.”
- “I really enjoyed my time with the game - the story was sweet and well-told, the art style was unique and beautiful, and the puzzle gameplay is very creative and fun.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is just not enough to hold the game up on its own.”
- “The story is full of contrived, annoying arguments caused by misunderstandings and lack of communication, and none of it feels realistic to the deep amount of commitment and communication inherent to long-distance relationships.”
- “Awful storytelling actually ruins the entire thing.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The gameplay in "A Fold Apart" features unique and engaging paper-folding mechanics that introduce new elements throughout the game, although some players find the puzzles to be relatively simple and repetitive. While the visuals and story are praised for their emotional depth and creativity, the overall experience is marred by slow controls and a lack of complexity in puzzle design. Despite its charming premise, some reviewers feel the game does not fully capitalize on its innovative mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that may not justify its price.
- “The puzzle mechanics feel fun and unique, with different elements added in each chapter to keep it fresh.”
- “A Fold Apart has a good set of interesting puzzles that do a great job of introducing new mechanics and using them in interesting ways.”
- “The gameplay is also fun and interesting, especially when new elements are being added in, and best of all, the puzzles aren't designed to completely and utterly stump you.”
- “The gameplay is intentionally frustrating, riddled with trial and error and puzzles that seem hopelessly out of reach.”
- “A puzzle game with a fun premise bogged down by the incredibly slow control scheme, fairly simple and easy puzzles, and a tired story tied so tightly to the gameplay that it slows down the monotonous process of getting from puzzle to puzzle.”
- “Any investment in their relationship is dulled by how dumb the two characters are, the core mechanic really isn't that engaging, it can be a bit buggy at times, and movement and interaction speeds are woefully slow.”
emotional
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its poignant exploration of long-distance relationships, capturing the struggles of miscommunication and emotional turmoil through both narrative and gameplay. Players resonate with the heartfelt story, often finding it relatable and moving, with many expressing that it evokes genuine emotional responses, including tears. The combination of beautiful visuals, a touching soundtrack, and clever puzzle mechanics enhances the overall emotional experience, making it a memorable journey through love and distance.
- “The story is very emotional and compelling, and I loved the bonus chapters, especially the pet one.”
- “I didn't know what to expect when I went into the game, but damn do I relate to the story, and it made me cry because of that.”
- “A short tale of long distance, A Fold Apart takes you on a journey of emotional turbulence.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
12%
The graphics of "A Fold Apart" are widely praised for their charming and cute aesthetic, featuring bright colors and a unique art style that enhances the game's emotional themes. Reviewers highlight the delightful, dream-like visuals and the effective use of paper elements, which contribute to the overall mood and storytelling. While some noted that certain environments felt a bit empty, the stunning artwork and accompanying soundtrack create a captivating experience that resonates with players.
- “The delightfully glowy dream-like art style and the soundtrack inspire a mood of wonder.”
- “So glad that this game is out and that I can enjoy its beautiful graphics and heartwarming story!”
- “While I do love the art style, how paper is used throughout, and how the mindscape was used to link towards Blue's or Red's thoughts, there are some aspects that can turn you away.”
- “The best part about the game are the music and the art style; the puzzles were okay, but I feel like they tried to make too many mechanics, and since the game is so short, you don't really see too much of the puzzles.”
- “The graphical style and the melancholy music are really lovely.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
19%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, complementing the charming art style and enhancing the overall narrative experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke feelings of wonder and melancholy, often likening it to the emotional resonance found in Pixar films. Overall, the combination of music and visuals is seen as a standout feature, effectively illustrating the characters' emotional journeys.
- “The delightfully glowy dream-like art style and the soundtrack inspire a mood of wonder.”
- “Beautiful, emotional, and a wonderful musical score complement the fun puzzle gameplay well.”
- “Both the visuals and music go really well hand-in-hand, and they really illustrate whether, by sound or art, the emotional turmoil each character is going through.”
- “Like it would be endlessly the same text, doubts, and melancholic music.”
- “I don't like how the soundtrack suckered me in with its light-hearted relaxing tone before bringing tears to my eyes.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered very limited due to its short length and static puzzles, which do not change upon replay. Many reviewers feel that this lack of depth and variety significantly diminishes the game's lifespan, making it easy to forget after completion.
- “I think this is a missed opportunity that the dev could have used to slightly extend the game's lifespan and replayability.”
- “All told, I put in between 2 and 3 hours to beat the game, and there's not really much replay value since the puzzles wouldn't change.”
- “Since the gameplay is entirely puzzles, I think the replay value is fairly limited.”
- “I think this is a missed opportunity that the developers could have used to slightly extend the game's lifespan and replayability.”
- “Unfortunately, taking into account the length of the game and the lack of any replayability, even the low price is too much for this indie game.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report no major issues and find minor glitches manageable, others experience occasional bugs that can disrupt gameplay, such as unresponsive characters and disappearing maps. Movement and interaction speeds are also criticized for being slow, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “Any investment in their relationship is dulled by how dumb the two characters are, the core mechanic really isn't that engaging, it can be a bit buggy at times, and movement and interaction speeds are woefully slow.”
- “There are a few glitches that could get a little annoying but were easy enough to work through.”
- “I've had two minor glitches; once, after getting shocked, the character stopped responding to the movement keys, and at one point the map disappeared, but returning to the main menu and then continuing the game returned me back to my current puzzle.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its clever portrayal of characters overanalyzing text messages and engaging in self-gaslighting, which adds a comedic layer to the narrative.
- “The story had me laughing, especially how the characters read too much into the text messages and end up gaslighting themselves.”
- “The humor is spot on, with clever wordplay and hilarious situations that kept me entertained throughout.”
- “I couldn't stop chuckling at the witty dialogue and absurd scenarios; it really adds a unique charm to the game.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly due to slow controls that hinder puzzle-solving. However, some acknowledge that this design choice may have been intentional by the developers.