Miniatures

Miniatures (2024) is a hand-drawn narrative puzzle about a surreal childhood adventure set in a minimalist seaside environment. Play involves exploring each scene to take on themed beachside tasks that slowly uncover four disjointed stories. It stands out for imbuing mundane activities with a haunting, emotionally resonant narrative that feels both intimate and otherworldly.

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You play four different stories triggered in a child's memory by selecting different items from a keepsake box. Each story only lasts around 10 minutes, but each has a distinct tone and visual style. While none are outright horror, they incorporate creepy and surreal elements that steadily get more intense. Rooms transform, mountains crumble, and the hand-drawn art style gets stranger and more abstract as each story careens towards its bizarre conclusion.

Play varies in each one, incorporating unusual puzzle elements to tell its narrative. In one, you use binoculars to search for details and turn pages to progress, while in another, you explore for items that can help you. The puzzles are intended to be simple, as novel ways to move the story along, rather than brain-teasing obstacles requiring hours of thought.

The result is off-kilter but also unexpectedly profound. The everyday, childlike tasks become vessels that highlight the fleeting nature of memory and the magic hidden in the mundane.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Miniatures 2 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 7 days ago.