Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - Hier 02:59

On Your Tail – Review

One of the great things about video games is that they can provide an escape from real life. Case in point: On Your Tail, a mystery game that was released mid-December. While the weather outside is cold and wet -at least in the Northern Hemisphere- On Your Tail allows you to experience an Italian summer’s warm and relaxing atmosphere. Sure, there are also mysteries to be solved, but the getaway from the sub-zero temperatures outside of our window was our main excuse to play On Your Tail. If you feel like you’re in need of a similar virtual vacation, then this one might just be up your alley. Curious? Read on to find out all you need to know about On Your Tail. Story The setting for On Your Tail’s story is Borgo Marina, an idyllic Italian-inspired seaside town. It’s here that our protagonist Diana retreats to for a change of pace. Diana is a young university student whose dream is to become an author, but the quality of her writing lacks emotional gravitas. She hopes that Borgo Marina can provide some inspiration. Diana will find a whole lot more than inspiration in the seemingly quiet town, however, as the inhabitants are plagued by a series of mysteries. What those mysteries are, we’ll leave up in the air, as it’s best to go in as blind as possible. All you need to know is that Diana finds herself in a position where she’s the most suitable person to uncover the truth. This is despite the distrust of some of Borgo Marina’s inhabitants. On Your Tail’s supporting cast is wonderfully written and comprises fully-fleshed out characters. Their personalities are sometimes a tad too predictable and tropey but this adds to the game’s overall atmosphere. Graphics Of course, we can’t talk about On Your Tail’s visuals without mentioning its aesthetics first and foremost. The most noticeable thing about the game is that Borgo Marina’s inhabitants are anthropomorphized animals. The character designs are great, with the cast looking like they could have stepped right out of a ‘90s Disney cartoon series. Borgo Marina is beautiful as well, draped in bright colors and basking in the comfortable glow of the lazy summer sun. Despite the gorgeous graphics, the game’s visual performance drags things down quite a bit, however. The game suffers from lengthy loading times, and sometimes objects don’t load until mid-puzzle or activity. Additionally, there is a major glitch related to those load times. We’ll get back to that a bit further down. Sound Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: On Your Tail is completely devoid of voice acting. This is a shame, given how eccentric and outspoken some of the NPCs are. Instead, the game’s mood is set by a relaxing soundtrack befitting of the summery vibe, and ambient sound effects that bring Borgo Marina to life. The soundscape does what it needs to do, although we couldn’t shake the impression that it felt like an afterthought. Gameplay At its core, On Your Tail is a mystery game in the same vein as Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes series. In a bit of an unlikely twist on the genre, however, the game combines the mystery formula with elements of life sim games. This inevitably makes for a much more relaxed and cozy experience, despite familiar sleuthing gameplay elements. You’re free to explore your open-world surroundings of Borgo Marina as you chase down the truth. The story nudges you to specific locations, where you use Diana’s so-called Chronolens to peer into the past and reconstruct what happened at these crime scenes. Based on your findings, you’ll piece together a timeline. The crime scenes are usually layered, with new information becoming visible as you peel back clues in those reconstructions. On Your Tail’s core crime-solving gameplay provides a good mix of challenge and balance, with nothing feeling obtuse or illogical. On top of that, the game provides direct feedback if there is a mistake in your reconstruction. The mystery remains at On Your Tail’s core, but unlike other games with similar mechanics, you won’t be confronted with death at every corner. When you’re not busy figuring out the truth behind On Your Tail’s overarching mystery plot, you’ll find that there are plenty of more relaxing things to do in Borgo Marina. You can take on a variety of jobs in Borgo Marina’s Critter Café, like cooking, selling ice cream, or taking on a shift as a waitress. If the idea of working an actual job doesn’t match your idea of rest and relaxation, you can also engage in more leisurely activities, like going on boat rides or playing with marbles. These typically take the form of minigames, of course, including the obligatory fishing minigame. By playing these, you’ll earn in-game currency, which can be spent on outfits and items. Some activities also let you work together with the inhabitants of Borgo Marina, allowing you to grow closer and bond with them. Eventually, you may even find love. Unfortunately, our time in Borgo Marina wasn’t entirely as relaxing as the developers intended, and it’s not because of the mysteries. During our playthrough, we ran into a game-breaking glitch several times, causing our game to crash. It appears to be related to those lengthy loading times that we mentioned earlier. Areas wouldn’t always load fully, but the game allowed us to enter them anyway, causing Diana to fall through the floor and get stuck. When we reverted to earlier saves, waiting a little bit longer before entering an area would fix the problem. Hopefully, this is something that can be patched, as the game’s Sherlock Holmes-meets-Animal Crossing formula works surprisingly well. On Your Tail isn’t a very long game either, clocking in at around 8 hours for the main mystery plot, but there are so many side activities that you can still easily rack up dozens of hours without the game overstaying its welcome. Conclusion The presence of a major glitch overshadows what would otherwise be a fantastic game, and our final score reflects this. Granted, On Your Tail is definitely playable and can be completed as is, but we’d recommend avoiding becoming frustrated and instead waiting for a patch. After all, this is a game that is all about taking a relaxing vacation, and you’d want to capture that feeling. On Your Tail’s cast is wonderfully written and Borgo Marina is a joy to explore. The gameplay shines through sheer variety while remaining accessible. If the kinks can be ironed out, then we can see this one going from an enjoyable romp to a must-play game.