So, it’s your first day at your new job. You feel nauseous and have a knot in your stomach as you don’t know what to expect or how your coworkers will be. Will you be liked? Or will you become the laughing stock of the group because you tucked in your shirt, but your fly is was open and a part of the flap is still sticking out like some weird skin flap… No I’m not talking about myself here! You enter your office and the person who was going to explain everything suddenly has to go take a leak and leaves you there, telling you not to touch anything. You’d think that this is just a regular boring day in a dead end job, right? Well, wrong! Because what I just said? Is the plot where PDTA centers around. ForwardXP thought this might’ve been a good starting point to base their Puzzle game around. Want to know if they accomplished this goal? Then let us go clear our minds because this is a brain-twister of a game! This is, Please, don’t touch anything!
What is good?
- Unique!: If there’s one thing that you can say about Please, don’t touch anything? Then its the fact that this game is like no other. The puzzles and each subsequential ending have their own special animation tailor-made for it. These can range from the fantastical to the mysterious to even downright disturbing… I’m gonna have nightmares about that button one… And that’s what sets this puzzle game apart from the rest. Most of the puzzle games play it safe, kid-friendly and run on a logical A to B path. This game? Has the entire alphabet and even some numerical numbers in there just for shits and giggles! PDTA offers something for everyone out there to enjoy. The game revolves and exists around you as a static player. Sitting on a chair, in a little room. In front of you, you’ll encounter an innocent looking console with an even more innocent looking red button. And one clear instruction. Don’. Touch. Anything. Well, that’s an instruction everyone loves to follow, now isn’t it?
- Little hidden easter eggs: Don’t go thinking that some of these puzzles are just, puzzles though. No, some of these have meaning. One is an actual throwback to a different game. And that’s what I totally loved about PDTA. This gave me an even more satisfying feeling the moment that I cleared a puzzle and saw one of these little hidden nuggets. Its details like these that shows you that the developers meant business when they created this game. Love and care went into it!
Mixed Feelings
- Complexity: I was debating on if I should put this part in the Good section, or mixed feelings. But eventually, I decided its better here. So, why you ask? On one hand, the puzzles are really fun and love to twist and turn your brainsicles until they look like a mangled piece of meat. On the other hand, there are a few puzzles in here that would require you to have an amount of mathematical knowledge or requires you to be a very logical thinker. And okay this issue will different for everyone. But not everyone enjoys these kind of requirements. So, yes. The puzzles are really fun, but in some occasions go a bit too far in their complexity.
- Length: If you look at the game in its entirety? You’ll come to the conclusion that this actually could be completed in an hour or so, with the help of a guide. People who are good at maths and are logical thinkers will be able to do the same. For the rest of us regular gamers, it could be done in a few hours. Though the price is quite low, coming in at around 10 euro, it still feels like a bit underwhelming that you can easily complete it in just a few hours. Especially with no real replayability? This just feels a bit disappointing.
What is bad?
- No safeguards: If you are one of the completionists out there. Let me warn you. This game requires a lot of repeating the same patterns from you. Which is fine, but if you accidentally press the wrong button? Could spell out an instant reset. And why? Because you already unlocked every possible use of that particular button. It won’t stop you. I would’ve enjoyed a message that said when I tried to go for a combination that I already had unlocked, that it just said: “You already have this ending, maybe try something else?” Because now? You have to reset the entire room clearing any or all progress. Also, this makes it hard to keep track of which combinations could lead to other endings. It really was just this sole issue that broke a part of the enjoyment I was having otherwise.
Please, don’t touch anything – 71/100
I got to say, this surely was one of the most unique puzzle games that I’ve played in my life. And that’s coming from an avid gamer that does like to dabble in the occasional puzzle game. Though not perfect, this does offer the opportunity for people who love mathematical puzzles or logical thinkers to exercise their brains. Others might have a bit tougher time to complete each and every ending. Though if you are truly stuck, there is no shame in using a guide or walkthrough. Just the satisfaction won’t be as great. All in all, I have to say that this truly is a cute puzzle game that warrants playing, even if you get it when its just on sale. Phew, this game quite exhausted my mind though, time for a bit of beauty sleep. Peace out guys… damn you red button…