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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.
A Fold Apart Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
replayability, stability
78% User Score Based on 68 reviews
Critic Score 76%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

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A Fold Apart Game Cover

About

A Fold Apart is a single player platformer game with romance and drama themes. It was developed by Lightning Rod Games and was released on April 16, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Lightning Rod Games presents A Fold Apart: an award-winning puzzle game that explores the emotional rollercoaster of a long-distance relationship — in a world of folding paper! After career choices force them along separate paths, a Teacher and Architect vow to make their long-distance relationship work at any cost. Experience both sides of their story as the couple navigates the complexities of …

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A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
A Fold Apart screenshot
+12
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78%
Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews
story34 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • Unique and clever paper-folding puzzle mechanics that are fun, creative, and well-integrated with the story.
  • Beautiful, vibrant art style and soothing, emotional soundtrack that effectively convey the themes and emotional states of the characters.
  • Relatable and heartfelt portrayal of long-distance relationships with diverse couple options including LGBTQ+ representation.
  • Story is often seen as overly dramatic, repetitive, or shallow, with unrealistic communication struggles between the characters.
  • Game is quite short with limited replay value and feels overpriced for its length and content.
  • Some gameplay elements like slow character movement, occasional glitches, and control issues negatively impact the experience.
  • story
    98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this game is a heartfelt, emotional portrayal of a long-distance relationship, often praised for its relatable themes, LGBTQ+ representation, and charming presentation. However, some players find the narrative repetitive, slow-paced, and occasionally unrealistic or frustrating, particularly due to communication issues between characters. Overall, the story enhances the gameplay for those seeking an emotional, character-driven experience, but may not resonate with everyone.

    • “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 is very emotional and compelling and I loved the bonus chapters, especially the pet one.”
    • “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, then there's the major con: for a story-based game, the story sucks.”
    • “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

    The gameplay of the game is praised for its unique and creative paper-folding puzzle mechanics that introduce new elements progressively, offering a fresh and engaging experience tied well to the story and visuals. However, some reviewers find the puzzles too simple or repetitive, noting a short overall length, slow controls, and occasional bugs that detract from enjoyment. While the core mechanic is inventive and charming, a few feel it could benefit from deeper integration with the narrative and more varied, challenging puzzle designs.

    • “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 does a good job of introducing new mechanics and using them in interesting ways.”
    • “The puzzle mechanics are interesting as you have to connect separate parts scattered on both sides of a sheet of paper by folding and rotating that paper in certain ways so that your character can move towards the level goal.”
    • “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
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a heartfelt and emotionally gripping portrayal of a long-distance relationship, capturing the struggles of miscommunication and loneliness with genuine realism. Its combination of clever, allegorical puzzles, touching narrative, and complementary visuals and music creates a poignant, immersive experience that resonates deeply with players. While some find the pacing slow at times, the overall emotional journey is compelling, relatable, and beautifully executed.

    • “This is such a sad but wholesome game about a couple who are trying to have a relationship long distance and the struggles they are having because of the distance.”
    • “They rely on text messaging to stay in touch, resulting in miscommunication that triggers immediate frustration and sets them upon an emotional journey to navigate their thoughts and feelings.”
    • “The story is very emotional and compelling and I loved the bonus chapters, especially the pet one.”
  • graphics
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming, unique, and colorful art style that effectively conveys the characters' personalities and emotional tones. The aesthetic, often described as glowy and dream-like, pairs beautifully with the music to create a heartfelt and immersive atmosphere. While some found certain environments sparse, overall the visuals are considered stunning, stylish, and integral to the game's emotional storytelling.

    • “The style of the graphics is very nice, and the two characters' personalities really come through in their designs, as well as their personal font, which is a nice touch.”
    • “The delightfully glowy dream-like art style and the soundtrack inspire a mood of wonder.”
    • “I love the art style and how bright and colorful everything is even when it darkens up during the low points.”
    • “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.”
    • “- has eye catching artwork”
  • music
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, melancholy, and soothing qualities that perfectly complement the emotional narrative and artistic style. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack, alongside the art, creates a dream-like, immersive atmosphere that enhances the mood and storytelling. Overall, the music is considered a standout element that deeply enriches the gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The best part about the game is 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.”
    • “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.”
    • “The music is a bit melancholy but also somehow soothing.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers limited replayability due to its short length and static puzzles, with little variation or depth to encourage multiple playthroughs. The lackluster story further diminishes the incentive to revisit, resulting in a brief experience that feels easily forgotten.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “I think this is a missed opportunity that the dev could have used to slightly extend the game's lifespan/replayability.”
  • stability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs without major crashes, but it experiences occasional minor glitches such as unresponsive controls and disappearing maps. These bugs can be annoying but are usually manageable and do not severely disrupt progress. Overall, while stable, the game's slow interactions and occasional technical issues slightly detract from the 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.”
    • “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 then continuing the game returned me back to my current puzzle.”
    • “There are a few glitches that could get a little annoying but was easy enough to work through.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is praised for its clever and relatable portrayal of overanalyzing text messages, delivering genuine laughs through self-aware and witty storytelling.

    • “The story had me laughing, especially how they overanalyze the text messages and gaslight themselves.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users find the grinding aspect slowed down by sluggish controls, making puzzle-solving feel tedious, though some understand it may be a deliberate design choice by the developers.

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76%Critics’ scoreBased on 23 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

A Fold Apart is a platformer game with romance and drama themes.

A Fold Apart is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

A Fold Apart was released on April 16, 2020.

A Fold Apart was developed by Lightning Rod Games.

A Fold Apart has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked A Fold Apart for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

A Fold Apart is a single player game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Assemble with Care, LoveChoice, SCHiM, Four Sided Fantasy, Wandersong and others.