PC Critic Reviews

TR-49 is another link in the chain of Inkle’s success, elegantly encoding narrative inside a puzzle game. There’s a ghost in this machine and we can’t be sure whether it’s offering a lesson from the past or a prophecy for the future.

Beautifully presented and intelligently put together, TR-49 is a masterclass in puzzle games done right – although coming from the developer of Heaven's Vault, that's not at all surprising. This delve into curious and forgotten literature is far more compelling than it has any right to be, and it's a must-play for any puzzle fan.

TR-49 is may things simultaneously, to the extent that it can be overwhelming, causing the brain and heart to race - a remarkable feat for something so apparently simple. [Issue#420, p.103]

All of this is to say that I think Inkle is on to another banger here. Narrative has always been one of the studio’s strongest points, but I absolutely love the way it unfolds here, where much of the backstory can only be pieced together by you. It’s a great method to tell a story in a way that only video games can, by emphasising the interaction between the player and the game, and is now one of the finest examples of doing this.

TR-49 is delightful, a game that takes an interesting core concept and builds an intriguing and complex story around it. The two parallel narratives unfold slowly, while the atmosphere remains dark and mysterious. The voice acting, both for the protagonists and the people whose writing was fed into the machine, is impressive. Sure, the core gameplay loop of inputting codes to move from page to page will become repetitive for many players. Thankfully, the players do a lot of thinking, and the game’s puzzles are constructed with care. TR-49 is one of the best mysteries of the past few years and is best enjoyed in short sessions to make it last.

Inkle builds a weirdo computer for the ages, then let you use it to solve a beautifully-written mystery. Outstanding.

It demands a specific mood and mindset, but if there’s a match there, it’s like cracking a code and your reward for meeting these demands is thoughtful, flow-like immersion to reveal an engaging story. One that decidedly does not feel fake when you experience it.

At its height, TR-49 succeeds at making every player feel like its mystery is their very own to solve. It takes talent to distort reality like that.

Its unrelenting vagueness surely won’t be for everyone, but with TR-49 inkle expands on the growing investigative deduction subgenre with another polished and rewarding title, its added audio component providing a particularly compelling extra layer of intrigue.

Inkle mixes archive-surfing and audio drama to create a surprisingly powerful story of obsession and a machine.