Paper Trail

Paper Trail is a grid-based adventure game about folding origami-like maps. Each map is double-sided, and you must figure out how to fold its edges over to create a path to the exit. Its approachable puzzles and beautiful presentation make this a good entry point for players who may have found other grid-based puzzle games too daunting.

Each map area is a tiled grid composed of one or more pieces, usually rectangles but sometimes other shapes like Ts and Ls. It has one illustrated scene with pathways and obstacles on the front side and a different one on the back side. You can grab any edge or corner of the piece to fold it horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, revealing part of the back side. You must use spatial visualization to figure out how to fold the map in order to connect different pathways so that the player character can reach the exit.

Each region of the game introduces additional mechanics to the puzzles. There are numbered tiles that must be paired up, lasers that must be deflected with mirrors into targets, portals that teleport you to a different part of the map, levers to pull, rocks to push (varying slightly from the traditional sokoban formula in that you can both pull and push), and so on.

Creatively, the cutscenes are themselves pictures that you must fold to tell the story. It follows Paige, a girl who is running away from home to attend university. Along the way, she reminisces about her childhood spent with her brother, who is now gone. The cutscenes are all skippable if you want to get straight to the puzzles.

The game’s lovingly handcrafted design adds richness to the experience. The art is styled like a children’s book, with simple flat-colored characters and richly-textured maps with lots of detail and subtle movement. A gentle, atmospheric score completes the cozy feeling.

The space-folding mechanic can lead to mind-bending puzzles, but the difficulty stays moderate throughout. Every move is fully reversible, so there are no softlock states, and you can freely restart a puzzle at any time. You can also access partial hints by pressing H, which shows the folding sequence, leaving only Paige’s path up to your reasoning. It all adds up to a relaxing and creative new twist on grid puzzles.

This description was written by Gwen C. Katz.