Thank you Frostwood Interactive for sending us a review code!

Unwording is a very unique puzzle game that has just released on Steam. You control Tom over a 3-day period. Tom struggles with depression and self-deprecating thoughts. During this very short story, you see Tom’s changing mental state, which is reflected in the gameplay.

On the first day, he struggles with depression and self-deprecating thoughts. Here, you must explore a small block in a city, finding objects and words. Upon finding these words, they are broken up into blocks, which you must rotate and fit into proper slots to form negative and defeating thoughts. While these puzzles are sometimes challenging, you are given one or two hints per puzzle (or more if you play on an easy mode).

On the second day, after a bird flies into his apartment and causes mischief (such as by laying eggs and pooping on his bed), Tom begins to have a change in mood. You must go around the block again, looking for the same words and objects as before. This time, you must rotate the same puzzles as before, forming positive words to see things in a new light.

On the third day, there are no ordinary puzzles involved. You must go around the block, but now every single action you perform requires typing in the correct word. For example, if you wanted to enter a building, you would type ‘enter’ or ‘go.’

Unwording’s puzzle-solving is very fun and clever. I’ve never seen a game completely change its gameplay like this, either. The biggest problem with Unwording is that I just want to play more! With its short length of 90 minutes, the three types of puzzles feel like tech demos showcasing great ideas.

Despite its simple graphics, Unwording has a very unique visual style. Each day, the game changes its look. At first, it is 2D with a hand-drawn aesthetic and mostly black and white color scheme. Later, the world becomes 3D with a fixed camera and somewhat more color. On the third day, the colors become much more varied, and you are given a free camera.

There isn't much music, and it doesn't particularly stand out, but it at least fits the mood. The credits state that many sound effects are borrowed from a site called freesound.org. Of the credited users whose sounds were borrowed, I noticed one had “666” in his username.

Unfortunately, there are some significant bugs regarding the pause menu. At one point, I lost control after closing the menu, forcing me to reload my save. Even worse, for the entire last third of the game, the pause menu simply did not work! I hope these glitches are fixed quickly.

Other than the themes of depression and the username of someone in the credits, there are a few other things that may be of concern. In the city, there is a man smoking a cigarette. While there is no violence, there is a scene where a baby in a stroller rolls into the street and nearly gets hit by a car (though you thankfully save the day).

I can’t say I’ve played a game quite like Unwording. It has very unique and clever puzzle-solving that gets flipped on its head twice. Its visual style, though simple, is very appealing. I just wish it wasn’t so short! I do think $4.99 is a lot to ask for an experience that lasts a mere hour and a half, but as the most unique game I've played in some time, I would recommend it to those who enjoy short and sweet puzzle games.

-Tyler Ferguson