I have been taking a break from long, grueling, HARD games beacuse I’m just done with them right now. Instead, I’m playing a bunch of casual games and a few indie games to cleanse my palate. One thing I have always appreciated about casual games (and now indie games) is that they always/usually (respectively) have demos. I really appreciate it because it’s hard to know what some games are like from just the description.
I think every game should have a demo, honestly. There was a discussion in the RKG Discord about difficulties mode (not the point of this post, so let’s move on past it for now), and someone said she liked it when games had demos so she could see what a game was like before buying it. I agreed, and I use Game Pass to demo games I might want to play. (Note to self: drop Game Pass.) I usually end up playing the game on Game Pass, but I have bought several indie games on Steam after playing it on Game Pass because I wanted to support the devs.
One of the games I demoed a few months ago (I think it was from the Wholesome Direct, but I can’t say for sure) was a very fun and addictive little game called Is This Seat Taken? by Poti Poti Studio, which is located in Brussels, Belgium and Barcelona Spain. Which, probably not surprisingly, are two of the destinations in the game.
It’s a very simple game and immediately pleasing to my eyes. All the characters are shapes, and you have to seat them according to their preferences. Each had one to three preferences, and they ranged from ‘I want to stand’ (at, say, a game) to ‘I don’t like smells’. The demo was the whole first city, and maybe an hour? Or a bit longer.
The first level was a bus, and it was fairly simple. The preferences made things harder and harder as the levels progressed, and there was a real sense of satisfaction in figuring out how to seat everyone properly. There was one I had to look up, but it was because the devs didn’t explain a few very important things.
In certain levels, there are things that can be moved. Like in the diner, you can move the food and drinks to different countertop squares or tables. Unless I missed it, there was nothing that said this, and I spent a frustrating amount of time trying to work out one of the puzzles.
In other levels, some people wanted to stand. There was no explanation as to how to allow people to stand. I futzed around for a bit, and then I figured out that if there was a dotted box in front of the seat and the seat was up (neither was very obvious), that meant someone could stand there. Which, fine. Until I reached, ok. Look. Each city has five levels (and a sixth one you can unlock if you do all the others perfectly. I think. I only moved on when I did a level perfectly). Each level has five…stages, I guess?
I reached a stage in a level in which I could not make it work. Again, it took me far too long to realize that you can choose which seats are up and which are not. It would have been nice to have that explained, too.
Other than that one level, though, I did them all on my own. There were a few that I would have to remove all the shapes and start over again, but I never had to look up another solution.
I also appreciated that the game helped me see when I was stuck in my way of thinking. Sometimes, I would just try something, even if I didn’t think it’d work just to see what would happen. That’s how I found out that you could make someone stand, even if they said they did not want to sit in a dirty seat (movie theater, popcorn remains). You could not make them stand in front of a dirty seat, but you could make them stand in front of a clean one.
There were little vignettes to watch, and there was a through story about a rhombus who wanted to be an actor. In the beginning, he started out with very low self-esteem and thought that no one liked him. By the end, well, let’s just say that things got much better for him.
I finished the game in 8.5 hours, and I think most people could finish it in five or so. Remember that everything takes me longer for a variety of reasons. By the time I finished, I had all but three of the achievements. Thankfully, the game allowed me to go back to any level once I finished a whole city, so I was able to easily clean up the achievements.
I really, really appreciate a game that I can finish in a few days. It was a sweet, lovely time in which I got to stretch my brain cells, but not too hard. Once I figured out all the parameters, I rarely got frustrated with the game. Yes, a few times I got impatient, but I was usually able to figure out where I had gone wrong relatively quickly.
I really like the art style, too. It’s clean and colorful, but not overly so (on the latter, I mean). Each level has a few bright colors, but also a bunch of warm earth tones. It’s really easy on my eyes, and all the different shapes are pleasing to me.
It’s a heartwarming story of following your dreams and not giving up. All interwoven in addictive gameplay that gently pushes you to keep on going. Since each level is one arena (bus, stadium, theater, diner, etc.), old people will leave and new people will come in after each stage is cleared. In the airport levels, you have to place some luggage in the given amount of space, too. I’ve done a ton of puzzles like that, so that part of the game was very simple to me.
I have to say, I really love a game that has a very clear idea of what it is and what it’s trying to do, and it does exactly that. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, and while I may not play it again, I have very warm feelings for having played it (and 100%ed it).
I have to give a shoutout to indie games. They continue to impress me with their art, their vision, and how expansive the genres are. This game is $9.99, and I got it for 10% off. It’s a perfect small bite of entertainment that left me satisfied and wanting more. I will definitely buy the DLC if it comes out, and if they make a sequel, I’m all for that as well.
If you like gentle puzzle games with heart, this might be the game for you.