Review- Encodya

Encodya is a small point and click adventure where you play as a small an orphan girl (Tina) and her robot friend (SAM-53), traversing the rooftops and streets of the very cyberpunk-esqe Neo-Berlin. Where you are trying to solve the mystery of Tina’s fathers disappearance.

Title: Encodya
Developer: Chaosmonger Studio
Publishers: Assemble Entertainment
Platforms: Steam
Release Date: January 26, 2021

A simple game style and story yet a very fun and inviting atmosphere. The world of Neo-Berlin is a fun and interesting take on the whole cyberpunk aesthetic, and I really enjoyed the lighting that you get down in the streets of the city. With glowing neon and bright lights to contrast against the grimey alleys at night. Neo-Berlin was a beautiful experience to walk through and it played very well with the point and click mechanic.

Though I am not a very long dedicated player of point and click games it does make things a little more cinematic. When it comes to game play I did find it unfortunate that I become less invested in the story, because of the tedious amount of spam clicking I was doing trying to find the correct pixel I need to play my trap on in the first area. Point and click can work well but in the very busy scenery that Encodya has some things can be completely missed. Some items I literally never saw but was just clicking away in hopes of finding things, point and click issues were not my main concern with the game however.

At the beginning of the game you are given a list of objectives that you must finish and they are very clear. However anything and everything about how you do them is a complete mystery, and while the easy mode of the game lets SAM offer Tina hints they offer almost no help. With hints being as vague as the actual direction you are meant to go I found myself being very frustrated after a while.

While there are frustrations with the game and most of that I would even say is user error, I do think that story alone is worth your time. A story both main characters were a great time to play as and the small bits of humor you get are great. They lighten up even the most frustrating time you could come across during your playthrough. I would easily say to give this game a try when you see it on Steam.

Grades 

Gameplay: 6/10– A fun story with likeable characters and moments that really make you say “Im glad I played this.”

Graphics: 10/10– I loved the design and style that Chaosmonger went with! Beautiful yet simple.

Control: 5/10– Point and click with large cinematic shots, but makes me wish for more control.

Sound Design: 6/10– Simple sound choice. Nothing too over the top or under but just a constant bit of light music.

Final Verdict: 6.75/10– While Encodya is a fun and interesting story the issues I had really hindered me getting into it. Right off the bat I couldn’t figure out how to solve any puzzles in the game and found myself irritated, but if you can right the ship and learn to play the story is worth the time it takes. Nothing too crazy but nothing simple either! Encodya is a solid choice for someone that wants to go on a fun little point and click adventure!