American Arcadia

Out of the Blue thoroughly surprised me a few years ago with its adventure puzzler, Call of the Sea, a game that combined a mysterious storyline with complex yet engaging first-person puzzle problems. So, needless to say, I have been eagerly awaiting the developer's next work, American Arcadia.

In many ways, American Arcadia is very similar to Call of the Sea. The narrative is still built around a compelling and intriguing mystery that unravels as the story progresses, and there are multiple occasions where you have to solve environmental and physical puzzles from a first-person perspective. However, American Arcadia separates itself from the former title by also introducing a variety of platforming levels and sections that use solely a 2.5D perspective.

Essentially, this is a game that revolves around two protagonists. On one hand, you have Trevor, a civilian of the fictional city of Arcadia (that exists as part of a reality show following the lives of its unsuspecting residents) who with the help of secondary protagonist Angela, is attempting to escape the controlling state. Trevor's portions all use the 2.5D perspective and look to evolve its gameplay by also incorporating camera and surveillance mechanics so you can guide Trevor to safety as Angela. If anything, this part of the gameplay reminds me a lot of the Oddworld series. As for Angela, this is where the more typical gameplay that we've come to expect from Out of the Blue comes into effect, as you play through Angela's eyes and have to complete puzzles that include leading an intrusive and suspecting boss off your scent and also working your way through an enormous building that is protected by multiple doors that require different key cards to open. This part of the gameplay is almost more of an escape room experience, and again, very akin to that of Call of the Sea.

While the two different gameplay styles work well, the first-person parts are much more engaging than the 2.5D sections. This is mainly because there is only limited mechanical depth in the 2.5D part of the gameplay, and the majority of the depth comes in the form of stealth, which is instant failure if you make a mistake. There is very little room to make errors in this section of the game, and while that does ensure it maintains a good and thrilling pace, it can be frustrating to have to replay chunks of the level because you made a minor and initially seemingly insignificant mistake.

As for the first-person puzzle parts, while a lot of these levels do lack the nuance and complexity of Call of the Sea, this is where American Arcadia comes into its own. Out of the Blue has a knack for creating interesting puzzles, and while some are a little too simple, the majority entertain with unique mechanics that keep you on your toes, and some are even true head-scratchers.

While the puzzling and platforming is important, similar to Call of the Sea, American Arcadia looks to really draw you in with its storyline and narrative, and it does succeed here. The story is very 1984 in its style, with Trevor escaping what is essentially a totalitarian state that has complete control of its citizens that are unaware of how the wider world works. It's a rather mature and complex narrative that will have you constantly questioning what you are experiencing.

The way the story presents itself is also rather unusual and fresh. As the narrative unravels, you'll get cutscenes where you see Trevor and Angela recounting the events that brought them together, and while it's an interesting way to break up the regular story and foreshadow what comes next, the foreshadowing does take a bit of the sting out of the major story events. I should also say here that Yuri Lowenthal and Krizia Bajos are excellent as Trevor and Angela, and really suit the roles they play in this game.

While I've made it clear that the puzzles are far better in a first-person perspective, the 2.5D view does have the 3D view beat in one crucial area: visuals. American Arcadia is a very striking game with a unique and polygon-heavy design that uses a lot of colours to stand out, and some of the scenes and set pieces that Out of the Blue has created for this game are simply put, wallpaper worthy. This is a truly beautiful game, and you will take times to just appreciate the environment during your escape efforts.

Similar to Call of the Sea, American Arcadia is also a game that doesn't have much depth beyond the story that it's looking to weave. It's gameplay and mechanics are rudimentary and simple to pick up, there are no collectibles or additional challenges and quests to undertake, you simply witness and play through the narrative until the credits roll, and that also means that the game doesn't have a great deal of replayability, if that's something that bothers you.

But all in all, American Arcadia is a fun and engaging game. Out of the Blue is clearly talented at storytelling and has a knack for creating interesting puzzles, but I can't help but feel like this game is playing it a bit too safe at times with how basic many of its mechanics and gameplay systems are. It's not hands-on enough like Call of the Sea to let its puzzles carry the experience to new heights, and in particular the side-scrolling 2D platforming parts can frustrate more than they entertain. But, if you've been looking for a new adventure game to fill your evenings now that the rush and hubbub of 2023 is slowing down, American Arcadia is definitely worth checking out.