One Way: The Elevator

Such a beautiful experience when it comes to visuals, narrative and music, with a story so touching and lighthearted I could feel the water building around my eyes. The game is different from previous titles, it's not a static adventure game but more like a cartoon where you solve puzzles to progress. Surprisingly the game is relatively long when compared to similar projects, it depends on how experienced you are with this genre, I would say 2-3 hours for a story run, not counting all of the optional trinkets and collectables. I knew that 'Cotton Game' developer would make a beautiful game because they have a good record, however, there is so much animation I am surprised they lowballed the price, this feels like it should be $10. From start to finish, there is not a single stage in the game that feels lazy, they even animated the credits and settings.

Each stage has around 4 puzzles with hidden-objects elements that were creative and logical, even if the logic was based on surreal themes. It starts easy, but you will need to put some effort into solving late-game puzzles, the hardest one took me about 15 minutes. I must warn that game also has some mechanical puzzles, such as moving 8 cubes in a 3 by 3 space or connecting tubes, I know many people struggle with those, and there is no way to skip them. Decent puzzle gameplay aside, I think you really going to enjoy the story because it has a beautiful message, enjoyable soundtrack, gorgeous animation, and funny characters with dorky faces. Even though the game is lighthearted, I think there is a sad underbelly of the game that can hit you pretty deep, I was genuinely close to crying as I tried to put the plot together.

Pros:

+ surprisingly good story, very emotional
+ fantastic soundtrack, beautiful animation
+ decent length, optional trinkets
+ many creative puzzles
+ achievements

Feedback:

Even though I struggled with several puzzles, most of them were fair. There is only one that I found to be very moon logic heavy, the one with the 6 triangles because you can interpret it in many ways. Maybe add another hint to point the player in the correct direction. Also, I wonder if it would be a good idea to let players skip mechanical puzzles if they can't complete them for 5 minutes, like the puzzle with 3 by 3 cubes.

Overall Thoughts: 9/10

There is so much love in every single moment, I can tell they went all out in development, and the price man, have some respect for yourself (thx though). I know these games are not for everyone, but if you enjoy creative puzzles or just a lighthearted story, I think you will love it. The weird thing is, I feel like this is by far the best thing Cotton Game ever did, and yet it's doing worse than previous games that were kinda average. What do I know, just going to enjoy the stay on this lonely island by myself, but it has a great view.

Review By: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31294838-Hidden-Gem-Discovery/

I knew that the next game from Cotton Game studio would once again carry my soul while incredibly hand-drawn artie casts and main little guy with and his little red nose.
Bringing such a kind characters to life must have been nothing, but an amazing shot of a joy in the animation studio. With every floor I passed through, I felt as if I were melting into it, as the charming roles filled my heart with pure happiness.
I won’t spoil this emotional story for anyone; I only want to gently tell people that even through hard times and gloom, we can fulfill every possible dream that comes to us—with a relieving smile. Whoever still has a little strength left in the dark world they live in will one day awaken into a colorful, soothing one. And once that happens, nothing will stop you.
„𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺.“ (bridge to dream book)
A beautiful, realistic idea, with just enough logic to give it substance, so that together we can help someone achieve even the impossible.
It was a joy to take part in this delightful project. I feel touched. Thank you. I strongly recommend it.

P.S. The achievement Waiting is deeply moving, if you save it for the very very end of the game.
🚀10/10 ⭐

Concept and presentation are okay but you can't rely on trial and error in a puzzle game. The player has to make informed decisions, not randomly click around because of missing instruction. The rules are aritrary and not intuitive at all. This isn't satisfying, it's frustrating and annoying. Also, the story is manipulative and hamfisted.