Letters - A Written Adventure Review: Pen Pal
Over the years, writing letters has become a novelty over quick and deliberate communication. A quick text here, an attached photo there, or even a live video-chat and you're instantly conversing with friends and family. However, in the 1990s, pen pals and written scripts were still a relevant and poignant way of life. Letters - A Written Adventure focuses on this nostalgia while also weaving a focused story within the two-hour experience.
To Whom It May Concern
Letters follows Sarah, a shy girl from Switzerland, as she develops a friendship with her first pen pal. The story begins with some levity and child-like observations, then gradually shifts the tone. Eventually, there are some darker themes that Sarah and her respondents need to tend to over the timeline of the game, but everything is crafted in a way that feels genuine and sincere. Family dynamics are tested, friendships are questioned, and the courtship of a relationship begins.
The game also offers a bit of diverging story lines, offering some nice variety and uniqueness to each player's story. Choosing which friend to hang out with or whether you were crushing on a possible boyfriend/girlfriend were nice touches to the game, but felt more cursory than impactful. However, there are a few specific moments in the game that offer distinct choices, so being deliberate with each word you choose makes everything in Letters even more powerful.
A Word Within a Word
Continuing with the story, Letters displays its storytelling and progression through letters and other forms of written communication. The pen pal letter that Sarah writes is woven in between various drawings that become obstacles in your way to see the next lines of texts. Some words are emphasized, drawing your attention that it might be a puzzle solution down the line. These puzzles are often linked to those illustrations, forcing you to interpret the scenario and find an appropriate solution.
Additionally, puzzle elements may be hidden; a simple button input allows for the key words to be highlighted. Though this was mostly a nice game play mechanic, I eventually just kept pressing the button to figure out the 'word inside the word' solution. For example, ‘disorganized’, the word ‘organized’ would be highlighted, you interact with it, then move it towards the illustration and you're done with that part. Though this was a bit unclear at first, I eventually was able to piece things together and ended up focusing on removing prefixes and suffixes from words - not too revolutionary. This hidden novelty grew old pretty quickly, but luckily the game iterates slightly with a variety of written forms to make it less of a bore and more engaging.
Breakdown
Game: Letters - A Written Adventure
Developer: 5am Games
Availability: Switch, PC
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch OLED
Pros:
+ Beautiful drawings
+ Clear beginning, middle, end
+ Epilogue
Cons:
- Puzzles aren't too challenging
- Hidden words are more tedious than fun
Final Thoughts
Letters - A Written Adventure is a fun, concise game where the written words are the puzzles themselves. Though the puzzles aren't anything too exciting, I had a good time seeing where story elements ended up and what whimsical adjustments I could make. I encourage you to check this game out and see what gets written on your adventure.
Reviewed by Harry Loizides