Furniture & Mattress
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure shines through its puzzles
With a smart but chaotic move, indie studio Furniture & Mattress brings us an experience that may be one of the most interesting of the year.
This year the world of indie games has left us with a great taste in our mouths and Latin America is rising with proposals that have satisfied us a lot. During gamescom latam I had the opportunity to get to know ‘Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure’, an Argentinean title that we got to know after it appeared in a Nintendo Direct a few months ago. I was surprised that the game was chosen as the best Latin American game of the show. Now that it is available, and after spending several hours lost in its puzzles, I can say how really impressed I am with the title.
Arranging the world one square at a time
‘Arranger: A Role Puzzling Adventure’ is a game that mixes all the elements mentioned in its title to offer a unique experience. We control Jemma, a girl who was abandoned as a baby in a village and now, as an adult, decides to go out and see what lies beyond. The peculiar nature of our protagonist is not well received by the rest of the inhabitants of the place, since every time she moves, she displaces the elements that surround her. So, knowing that she is not so well liked, Jemma begins her adventure, a true voyage of discovery.
In Arranger, the most important thing is your movement. This is evident from the very beginning, in an extremely simple tutorial. Jemma moves up and down, left and right along these tiles. However, every time she moves in one of these directions, everything in that row or column moves one space in the same direction. On the other hand, if Jemma reaches an edge and the board allows it, she will appear on the other side as long as there is nothing in her way. Although it sounds complicated, the movement is so simple and natural that it may not seem very funny, but therein lies the whole basis of a great game.
The game never gives Jemma an item for her adventure, instead, we will find everything we need along the way, as well as specific items that we will have to take into account. For example, at the beginning of the game, you can eliminate enemies with swords lying on the ground by simply moving the object to our enemy. It sounds simple, but it’s the obstacles that create these puzzles that you have to solve. This is not just limited to attacking enemies; you will also find other objects or even other non-playable characters that you have to move through this system, either to get them somewhere or to solve another puzzle. Throughout the game, it’s all about applying this mechanic to the different environments you encounter.
The design of the levels is very striking, and the way they evolve and grow is very attention-grabbing. This large grid can be overwhelming as the levels get bigger because you don’t know your way around and it’s easy to get lost, but it’s certainly part of an adventure experience that’s delivered in a very simple way.
In addition, the art and character design are very colorful, the work of David Hellman, who was responsible for the art of one of the iconic indie games, Braid. In addition, at certain points in the story and as Jemma progresses, comic book vignettes appear around us to show us what is happening, which adds a very special level of detail. It’s a very simple and tried-and-true formula, but the way these details are conveyed is something that stands out and makes the game very special. Then there is the music, which surrounds you very well in every area you enter.
Perhaps the weakest point of Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is its approach to some of the puzzles. There are times when the game offers real mental challenges that make the situation very complicated. Solving them is extremely rewarding, and I even got to feel how some parts of my brain reacted to the increased blood flow.
But if you really can’t make it, there is an option to skip the puzzle altogether. In this case, however, it would have been better if there had been a hint system to guide you, rather than eliminating the challenge altogether. There is also a hint system that tells you where to go and a journal where you can see what your next mission is. Other than that, I don’t think it’s a real problem, but not everyone will like it. Unlike other modern titles, there’s no guide to explain some of the mechanics in great detail. While I feel there are times when it’s more a matter of figuring out the rules on your own, some less experienced players may have a harder time understanding how it all works.
‘Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure’ is a fantastic indie experience. Furniture & Mattress takes an extremely simple mechanic and turns it into a very deep gameplay experience that demands the player’s mind to engage with its creative puzzles. Though somewhat short-lived, the experience of exploring this world as Jemma is full of moments that leave a lasting taste in your mouth. The game lasts between 6 and 7 hours but is full of mechanics that always feel fresh.