Nov 29, 20183 min read

Review #052: NAIRI: Tower of Shirin (Nintendo Switch)

Reviewed By: Frank W.

Developed By: HomeBearStudio

Published By: Another Indie Studio

Category: Adventure, Puzzle, Graphic Novel

Release Date: 11.29.18

Download NAIRI: Tower of Shirin from the Nintendo eShop here.

Point-and-Click Me

NAIRI: Tower of Shirin harkens back to the ole point-and-click adventure games like King’s Quest and Space Quest, that have gradually fallen out of grace with the public since the glory days of Sierra Games. It is a narrative-heavy game in which the main gameplay elements involve solving various puzzles while interacting with the environment and other characters, as well as combining and using items in your inventory in order to progress the story.

I don’t normally go for games such as this, but NAIRI: Tower of Shirin involves you with a charming cast of characters who are all very likable, as well as an enticing visual style set in a fun world that is unlike our own. The story follows Nairi, an upper-class girl living in a town that surrounds the titular Tower of Shirin. What starts as a mission to save herself and get back to her family evolves into a quest to solve a mystery that is as old as time itself!

Bring In The Ducks!

I really love the world in which this story is set, as well as the visual style it uses. It is a world of humans and animals living together. The animals are all intelligent, and mostly stand on two feet without being fully anthropomorphic. It may just be to match the cutesier art style used for most of the characters, but regardless, it fits and lends itself to a fun world. Obviously, with multiple races, you will run into occasional instances of anti-human sentiment, or other races which fit into the story as well. I had to make my way into the tavern full of the Duck Gang, and there is just something about this that I loved!

A Hard Pill To Swallow

A common issue with point-and-clicks is feeling like you are just randomly clicking around and trying to use every item you have on every interactable object you can find. Thankfully, I did not run into this problem in NAIRI: Tower of Shirin. I felt that all of the puzzles were properly explained, doable, and logical. That is a HUGE plus for me, as it alleviates my main issue with the genre. This started out with me not being particularly happy about playing a game in a genre I don’t really enjoy, but as I played it more and more—for reviewing purposes, of course—I did find myself getting more and more into it. Would I have picked this up on my own? I don’t think so. It was, however, a pleasant surprise in the genre of games to which it belongs that really stood out due to its fun world, logical puzzles, and charming characters! I might even end up beating it, which is very different for me.

The Sound of Silence

While the visuals were great, I never really found myself picking out any music or humming along as I played. I do think that a game like this, where you spend a lot of time in one area solving puzzles, needs to have an enticing OST! Battle themes in RPGs are built to be listened to over and over again for long periods of time, and I would have much more enjoyed the few times I spent scratching my head figuring out a puzzle if I was finger-tapping or humming along with a catchy tune. The design for the sound effects sounded fine, but due to the nature of the game, they didn’t really get to flex that much, as the sound effects were so few and far between. In addition, the dialogue is all text, not spoken; so I can’t speak on voice acting since, as far as I found, there is none!

Wrapping Up

NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a game that ended up winning me over, despite my distaste for its genre, and I have to give it credit for that! If you are looking to do some reading, some puzzle-solving, and some good thinking, NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is an awesome buy at only $9.99! I think this game would be fantastic to play on a daily commute to work in short bursts, and for the cost of two Starbucks runs, you can enjoy it as well! I give NAIRI: Tower of Shirin a very solid 7/10! Now, excuse me while I go make sure my dog isn’t part of a gang of corgis conspiring to overthrow me… thanks!