Unusual Findings PS4 Review. Unusual Findings harnesses the great point-and-click adventures of the late ’80s and ’90s for a newer audience. Unusual Findings is aimed at today’s gaming audiences, capitalizing on the success of Netflix’s Stranger Things while utilizing its witty writing and great story-telling to hook you in.
Unfortunately, the point-and-click formula means mountains of frustration to those with a hard time with critical thinking.
Unusual Findings Review (PS4)
A Fun Story With Exceptional Writing
Unusual Findings follows three friends as they witness something falling out of the sky into a nearby forest. Going in to investigate, they’re stopped by a police officer who, in turn, is killed by a giant robotic alien. After escaping, the kids set out to stop the alien and prevent a potential alien invasion.
The story takes some twists and is written very well. The three friends are the highlight; their dynamic brings the story to life and is a joy to listen to. Not only is the main cast great to listen to but having conversations with the supporting cast and the various townspeople is a joy as they provide useful information to help you progress and expand on world-building.
Being a point-and-click adventure, you’ll spend a lot of time walking between locations trying to solve puzzles using the various tools and items you discover. The town isn’t very big, but it’s not the only location you get to visit. Secret military bases and a neighbouring town are just a couple of other locations.
Unusual Findings Will Have You Running Back And Forth For Hours
The actual puzzle solving is where the game not only shines but also its biggest fault. I love the traditional way of solving puzzles that is present in the majority of point-and-click adventures. Those who have never played one will find out that games of this genre don’t ever hold your hand and don’t provide many clues or assistance.
The only clue you are given is what your final objective is in your area. Your first objective, for example, is to build a trap to capture the alien by digging a trap and capturing it with a net. These are you’re only clues,
You can easily find the tools you need to complete this objective but acquiring these tools isn’t so simple. This means you will find random items that you may not think you need, but that particular item will be needed for something to trade for what you do need. It’s not just about trading. You have to combine items and sometimes mix items together in various environmental machines and science labs.
Brutal Puzzle Solving That Also Feels Rewarding
As I mentioned, puzzle solving is also Unusual Finding’s biggest fault. It will be difficult for those looking to jump in and enjoy something causally. Though I love the puzzle-solving here, it can lead to much frustration. I spent hours going from one location to another, examining everything I could and using every item I had to figure out what to do.
Some solutions are easy to figure out, like using a bear trap inside a dug hole to insnare the alien. Others, however, require serious critical thinking, like mixing chemicals in a lab to get the correct combination.
Knowing your periodic table helps a lot here, but for someone like me, I had to revert to a lot of trial and error. After hours of trying, I was able to find a clipboard that had the correct formula on it. The problem for most of the exploration is finding the items and tools you need to move on.
So many times, I was lost and stuck because I couldn’t see the items because they blended into the environment so well. This goes for hidden rooms to go into as well. Another issue is that items and tools can be hidden in locations you wouldn’t consider looking.
Great Visual Style That Pays Homage To Classics Of The Genre
You get three options whenever you select anything to interact with; talking, examining, and touching. As an example of this, I had to find some fertilizer, but for my life couldn’t figure out where to look. I eventually found it in the back of a pick-up truck because of the three options. I had to use touch to find it. You would have thought that by examining the truck, it would have told me there was fertilizer in it.
Visually the game is a pixilated delight, much like the Monkey Island franchise. The animations are also pretty good though most of the action sequences are few and far between. Fortunately, the voice acting and the music is stellar. Each character is voiced to match their personality effortlessly, while the music is another bright spot, combining licensed 80s tracks along with its an original soundtrack featuring some great electronic music.
Unusual Findings isn’t a game for everyone. If you’re into traditional point-and-click adventures with punishing puzzles, this game is for you. There is a reason to replay the game numerous times thanks to the inclusion of multiple endings, plus the decisions you have to make that unravel the narrative.
While on a personal note I love the punishing puzzles, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the this element will drive a lot of gamers away.
Unusual Findings releases on October 12, 2022 on PS4 and is backwards compatible with PS5.
Review Code kindly provided by PR.