Gorogoa: A Colorful Journey

 Time to Beat: 113 Minutes

In 2017 solo developer Jason Roberts won multiple awards for his debut game Gorogoa. Reviewers nominated it for multiple awards, with a focus on visual art and innovation. Polygon and Eurogamer both placed it in their top 50 games of the year (35^th and 49^th respectively). Gorogoa was also nominated repeatedly as the best mobile game. Many PC gamers still imagine mobile games as repetitive (Candy Crush), simple (Flappy Birds), or a cash grab full of micro-transactions (EA's Dungeon Keeper or any Gacha game). Due to the improvement of phones, formerly unthinkable games can be played on a smallish screen. Even though I played Gorogoa on my PC, I can imagine how enjoyable it would be on a touch screen, swiping to maneuver around its picturesque story.

Gorogoa is a hand drawn puzzle game. The fusion of puzzles and delightful animation compliment each other seamlessly. The beautiful animation is full of color, with lush visuals. The game is depicted in a square that is regularly divided into four equal frames. When divided, each frame holds a separate image, but they still compliment each other.

The story of Gorogoa is told through pictures and puzzles. There is no spoken dialogue, and no written words. Many scenes display books or papers, but while they contain words, these are written in a fake alphabet. The story begins when the protagonist sees a wondrous shape outside their window. Full of color, it inspires them to investigate. This creature, which looks like a dragon, gives the game its name. The developer admits that the creature is his invention, and therefore, the name is completely without meaning, though it adds a wondrous whiff of mystery to the proceedings.

The protagonist seeks five mythical fruits as a gift for Gorogoa. The fruit looks like perfect orbs; red, green, blue, yellow, and purple, collected in a half circle bowl. They look like religious imagery from a Buddhist or Hindu temple. They are reminiscent of the Fire of Pentecost in Christian imagery. Each orb is its own journey. Along the way the player watches the protagonist transition from a boy, to a young adult, and finally into an old man. They see the boy suffer injury, loss, living through war, dreaming of the future, seeking cover during air raids, and traveling along a mystical adventure. The boy perseveres and despairs, in equal measure, seeking illumination and knowledge on his quest. Though the character never speaks, the player develops an emotional attachment to their trials Once the boy has collected all the fruit, the game enters an epilogue. It's a short conclusion, where the player reviews their journey. The lack of words, the expansive themes, and the mysterious epilogue, make the meaning of Gorogoa illusive, with a strong feeling of ambiguity. Ambiguity is frustrating when it offers two contradictory meanings, like the ending to A21's The Green Knight. Or when the ambiguity feels it is the result of a lack of thought by the author, But I enjoy the uncertainty of Gorogoa which feels complex, complicated, and well designed. It feels like the author put their heart into considering the questions and themes, even if they can't offer a conclusive answer.

The puzzles are the main mechanic of Gorogoa, and they satisfy. Some players may worry that this is an art game, and therefore, not really a game. Let me reassure those people, Gorogoa is definitely a game. At first the puzzles are fluff, like wisps of clouds, but they quickly solidify into labyrinths of gold. The puzzles, even late in the game, are never too complicated. They never frustrate the player completely, and none of the steps take too long. If stuck, look around. Most pictures contain hints. Sometimes I only realized some image was a hint after I had figured out the puzzle. Sometimes I solved puzzles with luck, and others with skills, and others with moving stuff around until I saw the solution, or stumbled into it. Three elements of design alleviate any frustration. Puzzles don't have too many steps, and are not long. Gorogoa doesn't allow the player to wander off track, to diverge from the plan, or to irrevocably mess up. You're never more than a handful of moves away from a solution. The pictures use a simple, unobtrusive indicator to indicate points of interaction (circles and arrows). This isn't some point and click game where everything and anything, including a tiny hairpin at the bottom corner of the screen can be used. Every picture has only a limited number of possible interactions and these are indicated. I almost think of Gorogoa like a chess puzzle (I've been playing a lot of chess recently).

For such a short game, every puzzle feels unique. They all involve interacting with the frames and pictures. Moving pictures around the frames changes them. Pictures in different frames interact with each other. In one I had to quickly move frames around because the puzzle required a specific timing. Puzzles require rotating objects, understanding connections, and knowing a bit about magnets, heat, chemicals, and weight (in the simplest sense). Always look, shuffle the pictures and try different options. The player can't break the game or ruin their situation. Trial and error are just as helpful as logic. Puzzles contain red herrings, possible interactions that have no purpose. It's like extra pieces in a puzzle box. Puzzles make abundant use of scenery and backgrounds, perspectives, openings, and doorways. The frames remain in place, the player feels like they are moving along a quest. The whole thing is backed by a subtle musical score.

In conclusion, Gorogoa is a delightful puzzle game, full of colorful art. It expresses a childlike wonder for the word, tempered with suffering understood by the wise. It is unique from start to finish, without a repeated thought or concept. Without words, Gorogoa crafts a beautiful story, full of wonder and exploration, packed with an understanding of a wide array of themes, and focuses on a curiosity for life. It's short, but the author doesn't needlessly stretch out his material. With the knowledge that Gorogoa requires only two hours, I strongly recommend this experience.

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