Iris.Fall from PM Studios and NEXT Studio is a 3D puzzle adventure game that has you playing with light and shadows. Learn more in our Iris.Fall review!

 

In Iris.Fall from PM Studios and NEXT Studio, you’ll be taking on a 3D puzzle adventure game in which you’ll be exploring a variety of locations as you use light and shadows to collect items and solve the different puzzles you’ll face. After waking up from a nightmare, the protagonist walks out of bed, following a peculiar black cat. A bit later, the lights will go out as a mysterious cloud moves towards you, enveloping you in darkness.

You’ll control your character with the left analog stick or the D-Pad. You can interact with objects with the A or X buttons as needed, collecting any items that can later be used to solve a puzzle here and there. You can open up your inventory with the Y button, so that you can review the items you’ve collected so far. You’ll take on a short tutorial section at the start of the game that will allow you to learn all of the basics.

 

As you move forward, you’ll notice a book that you can interact with. Once you press the A button, you’ll be transported into the shadow world, where your shadow self will be able to walk over the shadows cast by the broken platforms in the real world. Walk into the next section, and you’ll need to collect an item so that you can complete another broken section, so that the when the light hits it in a particular way, a new bridge is completed in the shadow world, allowing you to reach the door that will lead you to the next area.

Interacting with objects and moving contraption so that they can be used to cast the shadows you need to create the paths that will bring you closer to the items you can collect to complete the puzzles you will find in your path. Perhaps you’ll have to press a series of buttons until you find the right combination for the order of the objects that can cast enough shadows to form a path, or maybe you need to play with some rather large marionettes to open a new door.

 

After watching the game’s trailer last month, I do have to say that the game’s art style and presentation where what immediately drew my attention. Iris.Fall has a look and feel that will remind you of fairytales and storybooks, with the whole thing having a bit of an Alice in Wonderland vibe to it, as you follow a cat instead of a white rabbit, going deeper and deeper into a detailed mechanical world that is very memorable. Things go a bit into M.C. Escher territory with some of the areas you’ll explore and the way puzzles take shape in the shadows cast by light sources.

I enjoyed my time with Iris.Fall on Nintendo’s console. Sure, it might end up being a linear puzzle adventure, but it’s still a fun experience with a great art style and a solid presentation that kept me playing from start to finish. Depending on how long it takes you to complete the different puzzles that Iris.Fall will present to you, you can complete this one in 2-3 hours or so, but you shouldn’t let this keep you from playing it. Iris.Fall is out now on Nintendo Switch with a $19.99 asking price.

Disclaimer
This Iris.Fall review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by PM Studios.