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You wake in a dreary , dampen basement . Your head is heavy , and your arms and legs feel like harsh , textured material stuffed with an strange inwardness . You do n’t know where you are or who you are , yet you hear a stranger ’s vocalization in your head . And you know you must obey . It gives you a funny , vague command , yet you are driven to follow : ‘ Bring me beauty . ’
CLeM is a puzzle geographic expedition game where you dally as a lilliputian potato sack golem drive by the unknown orders of your master copy . Each mean solar day , you are task with take in the avatars of each dimension write about in your mysterious notebook , following the esoteric commands of “ work me beauty , ” “ lend me determination , ” and so away . As you follow the orders of the witch upstairs , you explore a beautiful yet empty theatre , finding clever ways to complete your tasks and learning the history of the family that once lived there .
CLeM is a journey packed with stem of witchcraft , family , and elusive darkness . The precious , manus - drawn exterior of the game hides , if ever so slightly , the sorry nature to a lower place . Walking through the bleak , once luxurious hallway of this family home , reading old letters and diary entries while listening to the droning , menacing , and lower scores of the soundtrack , gives you the constant feeling that something is n’t right in this place . That apt combination of cute and creepy-crawly becomes even more creepy-crawly as you build through the game .
stay rightful to the game ’s root word of witchcraft and strangeness are the game ’s teaser , which can simultaneously be described as creative , esoteric , and perplexing . unproblematic job do not have simple solutions , and no reply to any of the biz ’s puzzles is what I would describe as obvious . It ’s safe to say that you ’re run short to need to think creatively to get through many of CLeM ’s challenge , though your collection of wizardly tool will help you along the way .
I ’ll be the first to admit that I ’m not great at teaser game . For players similarly challenged interrogatively , one reliable method acting of making progress in these games is by interacting with everything you ’re permit to until affair start to dawn together , sometimes trip up into a answer by accident .
This is n’t a workable feeler in CLeM. As you explore the house , you ’re more or less confined to a few rooms at first , with more opening up in later twenty-four hour period and puzzles . However , just because you’re able to interact with something does n’t mean it ’s relevant to the task at handwriting . Many rooms you participate will boast puzzle and secrets only to be discovered at a later date when you have access to more tools . There ’s no flipping switches until something works in CLeM.
To add to this , the game features a noticeable lack of guidance that can make solving its puzzles all the more difficult . I can think the plot giving me a tip once , but I ’m shy what prompted it and why . I had no such portion in after , more challenging puzzler . If you struggle with CLeM ’s puzzles and puzzle games in general , as I do , this can lead to some of the level taking up of an hour to complete . I often found myself at the very end of a puzzler without have it off it , retracing my steps in an attempt to detect something I missed when it was right in front of me the whole time .
One such lesson of a mystifier I somewhat fight with was the secret plan ’s lockpicking mechanic . By using a magical key , you’re able to pick all the ignition lock around the home open and gain access to hidden goodies and puzzle solutions . To open a lock , you adjust several rocks on your sorcerous key so that they push the pins aright and launch the door .
It was indecipherable to me if there were seeable solutions or some sort of logic to be notice by looking at the pins before aline the rock on the cay . Perhaps an sympathy of how exactly rocks worked would have helped . What I terminate up doing was moving each John Rock up or down a unmarried jog until , by introduce the key into the curl , I saw the indicator show that the pin was in the correct place . This result felt janky , tedious , and not very clever on my part , but for all I know , it was exactly what the game intended for me to do , though I somehow doubt it .
As you continue through the game , these puzzle will only become intemperately and require stronger system of logic on your part to make out . To be reliable , I ca n’t exactly call this a downside . What kind of puzzle game would it be if the puzzler were light to lick ? Besides , player who struggle likewise to me will have the advantage of guide post by their peers , so you wo n’t have to worry about being stuck in one place for too long .
CLeM say its fib and exhibit its public through beautiful , handwriting - take out artwork and clever interactions with the environment . I was particularly affectionate of how you collect clue for posterior puzzles in the game . Within your notebook , you ’ll instantly jot down down notes and study about authoritative scenes you encounter throughout the house . If you collect a missive or daybook entree , you ’ll tear it from its source and paste it into your book . As you advance deep into the biz , your once - empty journal starts to burst at the seams , with entropy displayed in an immersive and realistic way .
The Final Word
CLeM is a splendid little puzzle game , filled with a constantly eerie vibration that pairs well with its cute , innocent art style . This sketch world hide a thick darkness , and to find it , you ’ll have to solve clever puzzler and learn all you could about the portion of the family that came before .
essay Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game . Find more elaborate flavor at pop and forthcoming title in theGame Reviewssection of our web site ! CLeM is available onSteam .