Puzzle Agent

About

Puzzle Agent is a single player casual action adventure game with horror, mystery and comedy themes. It was developed by Telltale and was released on July 7, 2010. It received positive reviews from players.

Created with indie comic artist Graham Annable's unique narrative and visual sensibilities, delivered with the distinctive Telltale storytelling style, Puzzle Agent is sure to challenge, thrill and engage in more ways than you can shake a cryptogram at!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+18

Skip User Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,094 reviews

story611 positive mentions

replayability14 negative mentions

Charming art style and engaging story that combines humor with a creepy atmosphere.
Variety of puzzles that range from easy to moderately challenging, providing a satisfying experience.
Great voice acting and well-written dialogue that enhances the overall experience.

Some puzzles have vague or poorly explained instructions, leading to confusion.
The game is relatively short, taking only about 3-4 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
The ending feels abrupt and unresolved, requiring players to purchase the sequel for closure.

story
1,320 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The story of "Puzzle Agent" is a quirky and engaging narrative that blends elements of mystery and humor, reminiscent of shows like "Twin Peaks" and "Fargo." Players follow FBI agent Nelson Tethers as he investigates a bizarre eraser shortage in a small town, encountering a cast of eccentric characters along the way. While the story is intriguing and often funny, it ends on a cliffhanger, necessitating the purchase of the sequel for a complete resolution, which has left some players feeling unsatisfied with the overall narrative closure.
- “The story is great in that small town weirdness, FBI agent losing his mind way like an episode of X-Files with Fox Mulder, and the art style nails that comic strip vibe.”
- “The story keeps you hooked throughout the whole game.”
- “You don't just solve puzzles; you unravel a story where each solution moves you deeper into a thickening plot filled with conspiracies and oddball characters.”
- “The story ends abruptly, leaving me feeling unsatisfied.”
- “The story is not presented well.”
- “The story makes no sense.”
graphics
354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The graphics of "Puzzle Agent" feature a charming, hand-drawn art style that evokes a nostalgic, comic strip aesthetic, effectively complementing the game's quirky narrative and humor. While some players appreciate the unique visuals and their fit with the eerie atmosphere, others note that the animation can feel low-budget and occasionally pixelated, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these critiques, the art style remains a standout feature, contributing to the game's engaging and whimsical tone.
- “The art style is charming and there are a lot of elements that seem borrowed from Fargo and a pinch of Twin Peaks.”
- “The graphics may not be the sharpest, but they perfectly suit the game's almost chalkboard-like art style, which features some zany characters that will keep you entertained throughout.”
- “Puzzle Agent is a pleasantly quirky concoction of mysterious adventure, smart puzzles, and offbeat humor, wrapped in a refreshing 2D art style.”
- “The graphics of the game could’ve fit well with its charming story and lore, but often it was pixelated and blurry instead of looking hand-drawn as intended.”
- “The puzzles are also graphically unappealing - the in-game story/adventure sections give way to single static screens for each puzzle, without any moving elements and an overall board game-type look.”
- “The art style is charming at first, but then after a while the quality shows itself.”
humor
332 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Puzzle Agent" is described as quirky, dark, and often absurd, drawing comparisons to the styles of "Fargo" and "Twin Peaks." While some players found the humor hit-or-miss, many appreciated its cleverness and the way it complements the game's engaging story and puzzles. Overall, the game successfully blends lighthearted moments with eerie undertones, creating a unique and entertaining experience.
- “The setup is great, the puzzles are really well tuned to be fun without being frustrating, the story is often hilarious.”
- “This is a comedic gem with tons of different puzzles, which masterfully balances eerie mysteries with absurdly funny moments.”
- “The humor is subtle yet impactful, derived from both the dialogue and the surreal situations in which you'll find yourself.”
gameplay
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
5%
The gameplay in "Puzzle Agent" is heavily inspired by the Professor Layton series, featuring a mix of point-and-click mechanics and a variety of puzzles that range from simple to abstract. While the puzzles are generally enjoyable and serve to advance the quirky storyline, many players find them repetitive and occasionally poorly explained, which can detract from the overall experience. The game is relatively short, offering around 2-4 hours of playtime, and while it has charm and humor, it lacks depth and replayability.
- “The gameplay consists of solving a variety of puzzles, ranging from simple logic puzzles to more complex challenges that require some experimentation and trial-and-error.”
- “The gameplay is straightforward and easy to learn, making it accessible to players of all skill levels.”
- “The characters and story are interesting enough to make you want to keep solving puzzles to reveal more, and the overall theme of 'there is something strange going on here' fits extremely well with the puzzle gameplay, feeling as if you are finding pieces to the puzzle of the story as you solve more literal puzzles.”
- “The gameplay itself is actually pretty boring and entirely unchallenging.”
- “Gameplay outside of the individual puzzles is non-existent.”
- “If it just were some unrelated puzzles with no plot or setting whatsoever, it'd be a bore, but it's making it seem like the puzzles are just the means to get the plot running, a gameplay mechanic rather than the end itself.”
atmosphere
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
40%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of eerie and light-hearted elements, reminiscent of shows like "Twin Peaks" and "Fargo." Reviewers highlight the captivating art style, engaging sound design, and the ability to evoke a sense of mystery and humor, creating an immersive experience that enhances the overall gameplay. While some note inconsistencies in tone and puzzle difficulty, the game's atmosphere remains a standout feature that keeps players invested.
- “While the puzzles could stand to be more challenging, everything comes together to make a unique atmosphere that is comfy, unsettling, fascinating, and hilarious.”
- “The atmosphere manages to be both playful and terrifying (seriously)!”
- “The art direction and the voice acting go perfectly together, creating a delightful atmosphere, which combined with the captivating story will, most probably, leave you wanting some more.”
- “This unsettling atmosphere runs throughout the entire game, which unfortunately ends on a massive cliffhanger.”
- “The tone is also weirdly inconsistent, like it can't decide if its atmosphere should be one of comedy, horror, or an off-putting mystery.”
- “While the puzzles aren't the hardest thing in the world, they are still for the most part fun, but where this game truly shines is in the atmosphere and setting.”
music
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the quirky art style and storytelling. While some found the soundtrack memorable and fitting, others noted that it could be unremarkable or repetitive at times. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's eerie and immersive experience, making it a notable aspect despite some mixed opinions.
- “The music is surprisingly very good.”
- “I love the retro cartoon style, the humor, and the unsettling music, as well as the nod to Nordic folklore.”
- “Great atmosphere created through the music, and the art style and bare-bones voice work really worked well together.”
- “The music is nothing to write home about, but it sets the tone well.”
- “The sound quality and music were at an acceptable, but not very impressive level.”
- “When doing puzzles, the music becomes very soft and low to mask the fact that it obviously has to loop.”
replayability
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
58%
31%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its very low to nonexistent replayability, with many reviewers noting that once the puzzles are solved, they offer little challenge for subsequent playthroughs. While the story and characters are enjoyable, the lack of choices and static nature of the puzzles diminish the incentive to replay. Most players find it fun for a single experience but do not see value in revisiting the game.
- “There's also the replayability value of trying to get a perfect score.”
- “It has quite a bit of replay value, as I feel as if most people may miss a few things the first playthrough.”
- “However, it has replay value.”
- “Very low replayability value.”
- “Replayability is sadly nonexistent, with static puzzles and no decision points to reconsider.”
- “The main negatives are that the game is quite short (I beat it in around 4 hours) and there is zero replay value whatsoever after you've beaten the game aside from redoing the puzzles, which you can't improve your score on unless you start a new game anyway.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players appreciate the charming visuals and find the story intriguing, many feel that the lack of character development and unresolved mysteries hinder emotional investment. The abrupt ending left some feeling cheated, despite the potential for deeper engagement in a sequel. Overall, while the game offers moments of connection, it struggles to fully satisfy players' emotional expectations.
- “The art is created by a renowned artist who holds incredibly charming and emotionally deep visuals that help connect the player to the characters of the story.”
- “Puzzle Agent - the puzzles are decent, but the story is absolute genius. The more you play, the more emotionally involved you get with the characters, right up to the abrupt, yet timely end.”
- “None of the main mystery elements really get resolved, and unfortunately you're just not given enough time with the characters to get emotionally invested in the outcome anyway.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews highlight that grinding in the game can be excessively time-consuming and tedious, with some players feeling overwhelmed by the need for extensive repetition. While the game offers a variety of puzzles that prevent monotony, the lack of fast navigation through text and the constant puzzle-solving can lead to frustration. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some appreciating the focus on puzzles over traditional grinding elements, while others find the experience draining.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I really expected to like and enjoy this game based on other reviews, but I found it frustrating and tedious.”
- “You can't fast scroll through text - you have to choose between reading it the slow way or skipping it entirely - which makes the plot segments as tedious as the puzzling.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly on Windows 10 and macOS, which hinder gameplay. While some players experienced minor issues, others found the game unplayable due to constant freezes and graphical problems. Overall, the stability appears to be a major concern for a portion of the player base.
- “A fun concept, but a very buggy run for an established game (could be that it's just not happy running on Windows 11, though).”
- “Unplayable on Windows 10 GTX 1650, freezes constantly.”
- “Great...a game that looks like fun until the graphical glitches on Mac prevent you from playing.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game is highly optimized for touchscreen, providing a smooth gameplay experience, while the voice acting enhances the overall quality. Despite its linear nature, it effectively maintains player engagement throughout its duration, earning a perfect performance rating of 10/10.
- “The gameplay was very smooth, and clearly optimized for touchscreen.”
- “Performance: 10/10”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game features strong character development, enhanced by unique designs from Graham Annable, known for his work on "The Boxtrolls." While the sketchy graphics may appear unfinished, they contribute to the overall charm and depth of the characters and story.
- “Good story and character development.”
- “The art, world, and character design are linked to Graham Annable.”
- “The sketchy graphics may seem unfinished or unusual, but they still look fine, and especially the unique character designs (done by Graham Annable, who also co-directed the Oscar-nominated animated movie 'The Boxtrolls') make the game.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity.”
- “The interactions between characters are often one-dimensional, which detracts from the overall narrative experience.”