Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love
- May 16, 2019
- Artifex Mundi
- 6h median play time
A young, naïve writer named Evan, makes his affinity for Communism and the leader of Matryoshka known in a very public assembly. This is only the start of a series of whirlwind events and a very big learning curve for Evan or Ivan as his comrades call him.
Get on SteamIn "Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love - Revolutionary Edition," experience a satirical point-and-click adventure set in the bizarre communist country of Matryoshka. Play as journalist Evan, unwillingly caught in an espionage stand-off between Matryoshka and a capitalist empire. Uncover secrets, follow an unpredictable story filled with twists, and discover the Supreme Leader's true intentions in this LucasArts and Daedalic Entertainment-inspired game. This edition includes the original soundtrack and a digital artbook.
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Reviews
- The game features nice artwork and a charming, humorous story that resonates well with fans of classic point-and-click adventures.
- Puzzles are well-designed, offering a good level of challenge without being overly difficult, and the hint system is cleverly integrated into the gameplay.
- The game successfully satirizes the communist regime while providing entertaining references to pop culture and classic adventure games.
- Some puzzles can be overly simplistic or illogical, leading to moments of frustration, especially for players seeking a more challenging experience.
- The main character is often perceived as overly naive and unrelatable, which may detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
- Technical issues, such as bugs and crashes, have been reported, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
- humor125 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with many players finding it entertaining and reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures. It features a mix of clever satire, pop culture references, and quirky character interactions, although some players feel the humor can be hit or miss, with a few finding it tedious or lacking depth. Overall, those who enjoy a light-hearted, humorous narrative are likely to find the game enjoyable, while others may not resonate with its specific comedic style.
“I really liked the humor and the LOTR and Cast Away references.”
“Great humor, funny story, and cool puzzles.”
“It's a funny game, a bit challenging but not too much to discourage.”
“He is dull, tedious, and not funny in the slightest.”
“The endless dialogues are supposed to be funny; I didn't laugh. It's all very cliché and extremely repetitive.”
“It’s the embarrassingly cringey kind of humor one can expect from a bad Daedalic game.”
- story122 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love" is a satirical and humorous exploration of communism, featuring a naive journalist who uncovers the truth about the reclusive country of Matryoshka. While many players appreciate the engaging characters, clever writing, and nostalgic references to classic point-and-click adventures, some criticize the story for being simplistic or lacking depth. Overall, the game is praised for its entertaining narrative and integration of puzzles, though opinions vary on its originality and pacing.
“The story is clever and the humor will get a laugh out of you.”
“The story was fantastic as were the puzzles.”
“Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a surprisingly good point and click adventure game, probably one of the better ones released in recent years, filled with everything you can expect from the genre: an interesting story, great voice acting, humor, and some medium to hard puzzle difficulty.”
“Finally, there isn't much of a story here.”
“The story is mostly forgettable and nonsensical.”
“The story is mediocre at best and misses every opportunity for character development.”
- graphics82 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant, cartoonish art style and detailed hand-drawn backgrounds, reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures like the Deponia series. Reviewers highlight the colorful visuals and engaging animations, which complement the humorous narrative and well-crafted puzzles. Overall, the game's graphics are described as top-notch, enhancing the overall experience with their charm and quality.
“The graphics are very pretty and clean, I love the details and the animations.”
“The game oozes quality with its superb voice acting and colorful hand-drawn artwork.”
“Great graphics, very solid controls, funny dialogues, great voice acting, and really nice puzzles.”
“The humor seemed nonexistent, the art style reminds me of bad anime CGI, the puzzles solve mundane tasks, the story hook was arbitrary and meh.”
“Also if I alt+tab, graphics usually get messed up, and the game freezes soon afterwards... probably even buggier when in windowed mode... (maybe just some error with the latest AMD graphics drivers? don't know..)”
“The graphics are cartoon-like 2.5D, bold and colorful.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic point-and-click adventure with a mix of enjoyable puzzles and some frustrating mechanics, particularly in mini-games. While many players appreciate the intuitive design and engaging story, some criticize the overall polish and challenge level, noting that certain sections can feel clunky or overly difficult. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of the genre, though it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more challenging gameplay experience.
“All in all, a great and easily enjoyable game with nice mechanics.”
“Entertaining gameplay led by a strong story.”
“The gameplay is exactly what you expect, a classic point and click adventure game where you solve puzzles by combining items in your inventory with world objects or between them and a few mini-puzzles.”
“Unfortunately, after having just finished the game after over 10+ hours of gameplay, I'm left disappointed.”
“My last words and advice to developers: I have been enjoying this game until a frustrating and broken QTE mini-game which is impossible to pass because of clunky mechanics.”
“Gameplay-wise it’s just meh.”
- music19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the overall experience. While some users noted a lack of variety, describing it as somewhat monotone, others highlighted the strong thematic elements and quality of the soundtrack, particularly the theme song by Peter McConnell. Overall, the audio design, including voice acting and ambient sounds, contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersion.
“Music and ambient sounds are great.”
“Sound, voice acting, and music are also great and complement the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“Irony Curtain has a fantastic overall audio design, from the well-made soundtrack that fits perfectly with the theme of the game to great voice acting, which is honestly very important for an adventure game.”
“The song text is completely different from the possible answers you can choose.”
“It feels like pop music; everything is there, nothing is particularly good.”
“The music from the record player looped and wouldn't stop until I closed and reopened the game.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often involving repetitive tasks and difficult puzzles that require excessive backtracking. This leads to a lack of enjoyment, as many feel the gameplay becomes dull and overly complicated for simple objectives.
“It's tedious and it just isn't funny.”
“So many tedious, outlandish steps to accomplish something simple.”
“A lot of puzzles involve running back and forth multiple times from one side of the play area to the other, which can get a bit tedious.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its strong art design, detailed graphics, and effective sound elements, including voice acting and music that enhance the experience. Reviewers note that while the music can be somewhat repetitive, it contributes to an oppressive yet humorous ambiance, making the overall atmosphere a standout feature of the game.
“Sound, voice acting, and music are also great and complement the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“One of the strong suits about the game is that the art design and atmosphere are really nice.”
“The backgrounds are well drawn, the atmosphere feels oppressive while maintaining the exaggerated and humorous theme of the game, and overall the art style is detailed and colorful.”
“The atmosphere feels oppressive while maintaining the exaggerated and humorous theme of the game.”
“The music is a bit monotone, feeling like one song playing constantly, which detracts from the overall atmosphere.”
“While the backgrounds are well drawn, the atmosphere lacks variety and depth.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is well-executed with a polished interface and no major technical glitches reported by many users. However, some players have experienced significant stability issues, particularly when using alt+tab or playing in windowed mode, leading to freezing and graphical problems. While it shows promise, its stability concerns may detract from the overall experience.
“Also if I alt+tab, graphics usually get messed up, and the game freezes soon afterwards... probably even buggier when in windowed mode... (maybe just some error with the latest AMD graphics drivers? I don't know.)”
“It was made with love... just in a very buggy, unstable, and somewhat unusable way.”
“Just think how buggy the game is.”
- character development4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of meaningful progression or coherence. While one character, Rufus, is highlighted for having a tragic backstory and some development, overall, the story is deemed mediocre and fails to capitalize on opportunities for deeper character exploration.
“Rufus was an a-hole, but had a tragic backstory and character development.”
“Don't expect any meaningful or even coherent form of character development; the puzzles are lackluster.”
“Rufus was an a-hole, but he had a tragic backstory and some character development.”
“While the game looks quite good and sounds very good, I just don't understand the point of the character development.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is generally well-optimized, with users reporting no significant bugs or performance issues, leading to a favorable tech analysis score of 8/10.
“I personally did not encounter any bugs or performance-related issues with the game, so all was good from that point of view.”
“Graphics, performance, and tech analysis score: 8/10”
