Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink Review

Artifex Mundi. released their point and click adventure game Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink on consoles and PC which can now be had for £2.79 via Steam in the current sale – usual price £6.99. There’s loads of these types of games and no doubt a healthy following given how many there are. So the arrival on console seems like a worthy venture, but the question remains, is the game worth your time and money especially when the price has almost trebled on Xbox One (£7.99).

You play the female character Agent Evangeline Glass who at the beginning of the game has to rescue a Doctor Ink (who becomes playable once Evangeline’s story is bested) who is crucial in discovering the cause of mysterious earthquakes. It’s steam punk inspired offering with a mixture of not so taxing puzzles and a light hearted story that’s easy to follow. You’ll be tasked with hovering the pointer over objects and collecting them, combining items and talking to some folks to progress the story. It’s easy to pick up and play and what’s appealing about these types of game is that anyone can sit around the screen and join in – even if one controller is being used. The interface using a gamepad all works as intended and there’s no cause for concern with precision or movement speed. So the only thing hampering progress is how skilled you are at solving the puzzles.

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There’s not really anything to object to in terms of presentation as the hand painted look is fitting and the occasional animated scene blends pretty well. Having played some other games of a similar nature, Clockwork Tales isn’t as engaging in terms of story or characterization. We learn nothing of either character really and their plight seems to go through the motions. It almost feels like the story merely acts to tie the various puzzle together without asking too much of the player as to why they need to complete tasks aside from progressing.

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Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink is a simple game that can be enjoyed by all ages. It’s not very hard to solve the puzzles although a couple might leaving you scratching your heads for a while. There’s a hint system which helps if you get royally stuck but there’s really no penalty for using it which is a shame. There is also two difficulty settings as well if you want to replay the game but to be honest, it can probably be completed in an afternoon’s play and replay isn’t necessary. So in this regard the pricing is perhaps a bit on the high side considering its cost on PC which is much more reasonable. If you want a non taxing game that’s best played with a participating audience, then Clockwork Tales is an interesting prospect which is worth checking out. However, for lone players looking for an elongated experience then sadly this doesn’t provide one and should therefore only be purchased when the price is lower.

Review code supplied by Microsoft Xbox.

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.