A Touching Action-Adventure Journey to the Past - Figment Review

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Do you remember the moment you became conscious of your existence? I very fondly do. I have a capacity to remember that can be a blessing or a bane depending on what I’m thinking back on. When I have a particularly bad memory I’m trying to avoid, I have to store it away in a dark, deep place. This week I revisited some of those most painful memories in the form of Figment—an action-adventure game that reminded me that just because a memory is painful doesn’t mean it’ll be forever.

Figment blends action-adventure gameplay with point-and-click, puzzle-solving mechanics and an immersive storyline. The game takes players to a bizarre series of floating islands inhabited by nightmare monsters.

Image Credited to Figment | Bedtime Digital Games

The titular figment at the heart of the game is the figment of the main character’s imagination. The multilayered narrative takes devastating, crippling trauma and masquerades it with fun, quirky gameplay.

At the start of the game, you’re introduced to a graying memory of a little girl having fun with her parents during a car ride. Half a minute into the casual talk, a scream is heard, followed by a crashing noise. This is where the game starts.

After that dramatic opening, you awaken as Dusty, a grumpy, lazy, and seemingly melancholic puppet-person. Accompanied by an overly optimistic bird called Piper, you set out to find ice to cool your drink while decorating your scrapbook. Upon returning, a four-armed monster has stolen both your scrapbook and your beverage. As you defeat nightmares and reclaim pages from your scrapbook, you will also regain your memories and slowly fill out the details of Figment’s backstory.

I’m not the type to tear up while playing games, but I have to admit that the room got a little dusty while I was playing Figment. The storyline is presented as a quite simple save-the-world tale on its surface, but there’s a heart-tugging narrative just under it all that’s more than worth of eliciting some sniffles.

Image Credited to Figment | Bedtime Digital Games

Figment is more than just a story, of course, but thankfully the gameplay experience is just as enchanting. As Dusty, you must tap to move around, cross bridges, and fling from island to island. Some puzzles require you to take an object and place it elsewhere to unlock new areas.

Early in the game, Dusty snatches up a wooden sword. You must use this sword to defeat the monsters scattered across the world and avoid losing health by dodging their attacks. Some monsters require unique methods to defeat them, such as hitting them when they’re above ground or deflecting their projectiles.

I enjoyed traversing up, down, and all around Figment’s floating islands while taking care of those pesky nightmarish monsters. I didn’t particularly find the game to be challenging, nor can I say the puzzles within Figment got me to scratch my head. Everything seemed very straightforward, or at the very least, simple enough for me to piece together. But the game continues introducing new experiences, which keeps things refreshing despite the simplicity.

Image Credited to Figment | Bedtime Digital Games

Figment’s excellent storytelling is also aided by charming visual and sound design. The hand-drawn graphics complement the seriousness of its narrative by offsetting it with silliness. On top of that, the fantastic, funky soundtrack had me grooving even as I was dealing with emotional overload.

The only element of Figment that disappointed me was how easily I cracked its puzzles. The game’s free first act only took me half an hour to blast through. From there, a one-time purchase of five dollars unlocks the full game, which lasted another four hours or so. It didn’t feel too short, necessarily, but as a fan of puzzle games, I could have handled a little more challenge.

Lack of difficulty aside, Figment is definitely worth every penny for the full version. I was surprised by how moving this puzzling adventure was, but it really got me reminiscing about memories I’d hidden away long ago. In the same way that Dusty learns to deal with forgotten trauma throughout the course of Figment, I found myself exploring and becoming more comfortable with even those moments I don’t necessarily want to remember. But remember I do, and this beautiful game is one I’ll never forget.

SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Reach: SOS. If you enjoy point-and-click games like Reach: SOS, you’ll love Figment. Feel free to read my review on Reach: SOS too.

• The Silent Age. If you love deep, engaging storylines like that of The Silent Age, you’ll absolutely love Figment’s narrative. Feel free to also read my in-depth review of The Silent Age.

💬 Have you played Figment? What’s your fondest memory?

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