While this is a frequent issue, it isn’t one that should have a major impact on your experience of the game, and you can try to mitigate this by adjusting the camera speed in the in-game settings if desired. The first-person viewpoint makes it easy to take in your surroundings and see where to go next, though it does pose challenges for movement at times, as when in close proximity to an object, it is easy to collide with it instead of navigating past it smoothly. On PlayStation 4 or 5, besides moving with the left joystick, all you need to use is the cross button to interact with items and the triangle button to check the time remaining on your pocket watch. The control scheme is, thankfully, not as complex as the puzzles themselves. Having simpler or shorter paths between aspects of the puzzles would have limited my frustration with them, and made the game even more enjoyable. My biggest complaint with regard to the puzzles is that the paths between aspects of them are often far too long, needlessly extending the time needed to complete them. While some puzzles can feel unnecessarily convoluted, there is always a solution, and it does feel gratifying when you finally manage to solve one that you’ve been struggling with. Additionally, you may find yourself needing to retrace your steps at certain points, as some solutions are complex and require you to remember where certain objects, interactables or doorways are in order to return to them and progress. Throughout the whole game, you’ll need to think outside the box in order to find some of the solutions you need, as some are less straightforward than others. This was one of the most irksome qualities of the game, as while discovery and exploration are things that come naturally, these areas were beyond the boundaries of the normal playing area, which seems unrealistic for the average player to venture into. Some of these collectables - most notably the paintings - are near impossible to find without looking up a guide, as several are hidden off the beaten track in places you wouldn’t ever have the inclination to go unless morbid curiosity takes hold of you. There are a number of collectibles to keep an eye out for, including paintings, butterflies, musical instruments and graffiti.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re done with each area as you leave it, however at times, you may be required to retrace your steps, particularly if you’re a completionist. This is the site of your very first set of puzzles, which require opening gates in sequence and moving objects around in order to advance up into the elevated lookout and drop the anchor.ĭropping the anchor raises up the lighthouse from the waters, and so continues the loop of completing one puzzle in order to unlock a new area as you adventure forth into it. As you explore, however, a large boat will dock up on the side of the island and open its decks to you. At this point, it’s quite empty, with only trees, rocks, and a creepy stone hand holding up the ever-ticking pocket watch that signifies your expiring life span. When you first get started, you’ll find yourself on a small, colourful island. So, if you endeavour to struggle through all puzzles without using the in-game hints, you should make it out of the painting with your soul intact come the end of the game.ĭue to being set within the fantasy world of a painting, the environments you’ll explore are surrealistic and, at times, unnerving. Instead, they tie into the number of hints you use, each of which reduces your available completion time by 15 minutes. While these time limits may sound intimidating, from what I could tell, they are not strictly in relation to real-world time. There are three modes to choose from when starting the game: Explorer, which has no time limit Classic, which gives you six hours to beat the game and Advanced, which gives you only three hours to beat the game.
Having made a deal with the Devil to escape from the harsh reality of the war for just one day, you now must make it out of your creation before midnight, or else have your soul trapped in it forever. Summertime Madness is a first-person puzzle-adventure game where, playing as a struggling artist in Prague at the height of the Second World War, you must escape the surreal world of one of your own paintings. Reviews // 28th May 2022 - 2 months ago // By Georgina Howlett Summertime Madness Review