Listen - Just a game.

Listen is a puzzle game created by Denna for RPG Maker XP.

Story:

You start out by watching a ghost, called Tom Tom, walking around a hospital trying to talk to dying people. No one can hear or see Tom Tom, until he notices a little sick girl that finally says hello to him. Tom Tom goes to the girls’ room and tries to talk to her, but Tom Tom can’t talk. So the girl needs to figure out what Tom Tom is trying to say. The name of the game, Listen, comes from the fact that Tom Tom wants to find someone who will listen to his story.




The story is actually interesting and a deep driving force behind the game. You can get the feeling that the author of the game wants to tell you something and that there is a moral to this story. This is something that is hard to find in a lot of other games.

Graphics & Sound:

This game is very well presented. The story, which is such an important aspect of the game, is held up by the terrific gaphics and sounds. The best example of what this game has to offer can be found in in the carnival scene. The little objects that can be found in the map speak to the amount of detail that went into this game. And the lighting effects are a perfect fit for the underyling end to this game.




Mechanics:

There’s definitely more good than bad in the puzzle aspects of the game. The playhouse tower is probably the best puzzle the game has. I mean you had to actually put some thought into how to complete it. On the other hand there were some puzzles that I didn’t think were well executed. When you are first leaving the hospital you are stopped by a couple doctors and offered a list of choices. If you guess wrong you need to repeat. This added more annoyance than any level of difficulty.




Overall:

I wouldn’t classify Listen as a pure puzzle game. There are puzzle aspects. Listen is a story experience, where the puzzles play as a part. You will be engaged by what you are being told and interested in what happens next. From my experience of Listen I give it a 4 / 5.