Bilkins' Folly
Review

Bilkins' Folly (2023) is an adventure game about a boy and his dog exploring tropical islands in search of treasure and his missing family. Like classic point-and-click adventures, you make strong bonds with quirky characters, here though it's logic puzzles rather than item combination that lets you progress.

You play Percival “Percy” Bilkins, a treasure hunter who, alongside his trusty dog Drayton, is on a quest to uncover the truth about his family, who mysteriously disappeared. You explore the series of lush islands, solving logic-based puzzles to obtain clues to the location of treasure hidden in the sands. You steadily get more clues that add the exact location of the treasures to your map.

As the bond between you and Drayton grows, Drayton unlocks new abilities which you can use to solve more puzzles and hence find more treasure to help you solve the mystery. You interact with the island's inhabitants and complete mini-game quests to earn their favour. Some you can recruit to your crew, and grow deep relationships with as you progress.

The result is an adventure with a lot of heart. The sheer number of puzzles and activities brings much-needed variety and freshness to the point-and-click style adventure. Along the way, it tells a story that resonates with themes of friendship and the importance of found family.

Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Bilkins' Folly 17 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 9 weeks ago.