Violett

Violett channels Salvador Dali and Tim Burton in a surreal and challenging tale.

At its heart Violett is a classically designed point-and-click adventure, warts and all. It tells an interesting tale in a world filled with oddity and excitement, but it's told in an unintuitive manner that only the most stalwart fan of the genre will likely stick with. It tries to cast its net wide by offering a clever hint system to help players survive its obtuse nature, but nevertheless only the most patient will try to come back out of the rabbit hole.

Adventure games thrive on compelling stories and a solid sense of logic, and Violett has neither. More criminally, the logic underlying the game's systems seems to be broken, making it nearly unplayable.

Violett is a fun point and click game that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it is a release that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

Violett itself is an enjoyable point and click adventure, but it also has so many glitches and even a game-breaking bug that renders it pointless for purchase on Nintendo Switch. Since the error stems from the touch screen controls, anyone intrigued by this would be better off trying out Violett Remastered on PC to witness its charms without the problems.

It’s clear that the developer has a wonderful vision and creates something that feels it could have achieved a level of wonder seen in its obvious inspiration, Alice in Wonderland. However, there are too many small issues and the lack of any solid narrative makes the game, well, boring.

I wanted to like Violett, but it just required more patience than I was willing to give.

Violett is a fun adventure game that you should play on Nintendo Switch. The graphics alone are worth the purchase alone, since this is a very pretty and vibrant adventure with a great art style. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it certainly doesn't need to. It's a bit more linear than what you're probably used to play in this genre, but don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment! It's a short game that doesn't overstay its welcome, so you should set aside an afternoon to dive into the world of Violett!

Violett is a pretty looking point and click title that does have its moments but is let down by poor storytelling and some strange design choices. Fans of the genre and newcomers alike will find the game to have a certain charm, but frustrations will creep in and I found myself appreciating the stalwarts of the genre even more by the time I saw the end credits.

The shame with Violett is there’s something interesting about the experience as a whole that I’d love to enjoy. The artwork is terrific and some of the puzzles, while odd, are refreshingly different. That said, the number of puzzles where progression isn’t guided so much by thought and intuition and instead by a sort of aimless string of trial and error shots in the dark make it a bit aggravating and diminish the feeling of accomplishment in making progress. If you can overlook issues like these and want something different give it a look, just be aware of the substantial number of caveats concerning it.