Archaica: The Path of Light

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Puzzle Games Bundle (5 in 1) along with Island Maze, Mushroom Quest, Tactical Mind, and Tactical Mind 2)

Archaica is a Puzzle game where players use mirrors and other devices to redirect paths of light to solve puzzles. This game was released on PC in 2017 and ported to multiple platforms in 2020, including Nintendo Switch.

Archaica is filled with all sorts of lore about a catastrophe caused by a fire in the sky, and honestly I wish it wasn’t, because it all feels pretty disposable and none of it seems to have any bearing on the gameplay itself. However, that complaint aside, the rest of the presentation is quite good, with decent 3D visuals depicting ruins in natural environments (usually atop plateaus or pillars) with some nice atmospheric effects and a smooth framerate – this game looks better than a simple Puzzle game really needs to. This is paired with a soothing soundtrack to make for an overall pleasant experience.

As for the puzzles themselves… well, this is pretty typical “redirect the light”-style puzzle fare. Nothing terrible, but nothing particularly new or novel. At the very least I can say that the puzzles are well-designed, the game gradually introduces new elements to make things more interesting.

Probably the most original and clever thing this game has going for it is its hint system – players can search the area around the puzzle for crystals which can then be used to select a small area of the puzzle to see if the solution involves anything being placed in that area. However, players have to guess at the area they want revealed, have a limited number of these guesses, and aren’t told outright what needs to be placed where. As a result, players can’t depend on hints to get them past, and must do at least some of the thinking for themselves.

All things considered, while the core Puzzle gameplay in Archaica is nothing original or special, it is executed well, presented well, and even does some interesting things with its hint system. Fans of the Puzzle genre should definitely give this game a look.

tl;dr – Archaica is a Puzzle game that has players using mirrors and other devices to redirect shafts of light. The core gameplay here isn’t very original, but the puzzles are well-crafted, the presentation is excellent, and the game’s approach to a hint system is quite novel. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is definitely a game worth trying.

Grade: B

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