In Framed you have to arrange comic panels to tell a story. This simple
concept has been pulled off marvelously by Loveshack Entertainment.
Graphically inspired by Film Noir, Framed has players controlling
dastardly do-wrongs, swapping comic panels to avoid the law and get
around obstacles.
The Good
The
game is stylistically unique and beautiful. I loved the pastel
backgrounds and sillouhetted characters, the whole thing nailed the Noir
styling and I wish we could see more of that. The gameplay is
deceptively simple, it's easy to understand but the game does make you
think while not being so hard as to detract from the main point, which
is the story and ambiance. After finishing the game, there is quite a
bit of replay value as during a second playthrough certain panels can be
rearranged in a new order to bring a bit of change in the story.
The Bad
If
players do happen to screw up a section, when replaying it there is no
way to skip animations so you have to watch the entire thing again. This
can get frustrating during certain segments as some puzzles rely on
process of elimination to solve so you'll surely end up repeating parts
unless you're really lucky. This caused me a little furstration and took
away a bit of immersion in the plot.
The Verdict
Framed
has character, which is something a lot of mobile games don't have.
Playing it you could really feel the care that the developers put into
it and that only added to the experience. Games like this are what makes
mobile gaming so compelling. It is a unique story-telling experience
that is perfect for smaller screens. Truly, Framed is one of the
must-have mobile games of 2014.
