At the digital Gamescom 2021 we tried out the demo version of the point-and-click-like game Behind the Frame. How we liked it and what the indiegame is about, you can find out here.
Here's what there is to do in Behind the Frame
Already at the first glance at Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery it becomes clear: This is about art. You play as an artist who paints on canvases in her studio and gets inspiration from her neighbor, who lives with a sleepy cat and also likes to draw and paint. Your task is, among other things, to complete paintings or to design pictures from scratch. The events are interwoven with a story that gives information about your silent neighbor. So you'll keep coming across puzzles to unlock new colors or find out about the old man's past.
Here's what we liked about Behind the Frame
Admittedly, we've read a lot about the game beforehand and were never really convinced that it could really interest us – but since we were able to play the demo because of Gamescom, we took a look at the title. And what can we say: Behind the Frame is quite different than it seems at first glance. The game's design is beautiful and blends harmoniously with the anime cutscenes, which, at least in the demo, didn't appear all that often. The gameplay is intuitive and the relaxing music fits the atmosphere of the game. It really makes you want to pick up a paintbrush yourself and let loose on a canvas.
The story builds up very slowly, yet it still manages to hook us. We want to know: What's the deal with the old man? Who cut up this sunflower picture and left it in the apartment?? And who drew it in the first place? The game concept is convincing and a pleasant change to otherwise often stressful games.
We did not like that much
Of course, in a demo we only get a rough insight into the game and maybe some aspects are different in the full version. For example, spoken texts are not dubbed. We only get to see subtitles and have to read along instead of listening to everything. It disturbs the immersion and is sometimes so distracting that we missed some corners. Also a pity: we don't really paint on our own, but only according to given patterns. On the one hand this is understandable, on the other hand we would wish for a bit more freedom. Paintings we are supposed to paint are usually noted down somewhere, so we know which part of the painting to paint in which color. If you want to make it a little harder it is best to look only once and try to fill the canvas from memory.
Moreover, the puzzles of the demo version of Behind the Frame are very easy. Sure, the demo is short, but there wasn't a moment when we didn't know what to do. We hope this will change in the full version. After all, Behind the Frame contains six chapters.
Conclusion
Behind the Frame is not the winner of several indiegame awards for nothing. The title looks smart and the atmosphere, including the story, is also something to behold. The puzzles could be more difficult, but we will definitely give the full version a try and hope to encounter some trickier tasks. The freedom to paint and draw is limited, but the whole thing is fun nonetheless. Although, or perhaps because Behind the Frame does not feature complex gameplay, but creates a relaxed setting with innovative ideas, we are curious to test the full-fledged game.