Tina
- Jun 30, 2021

Agent A: A puzzle in disguise | Nintendo Switch Review

Updated: Nov 19, 2021

While browsing the Nintendo eShop, a game caught my eye which was on sale for €0.99 – it turns out I had 44 coins, so it came to a grand total of €0.55. This game was Agent A: A puzzle in disguise. I am a sucker for point-and-click adventures with a hint of spy, so I simply could not refuse. Agent A: A puzzle in disguise is developed and published by Yak & Co, initially released for iOS in 2015, Android in 2016, before becoming available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Windows PC, and XBox in 2019. As the download completed, I told my partner that I would turn it on quickly to check the game out. 7 hours later, I was still playing.

Agent A: A puzzle in disguise focuses on Agent A, a secret agent working for the MIA, assigned with the task to apprehend the enemy spy, Ruby La Rouge. When Agent A tragically loses her boss in a ship explosion orchestrated by Ruby, you begin at her secret lair, looking for clues and solving puzzles all around to catch her. The controls are very straightforward – all that’s required is A to select, B to go back to a previous location, and the thumbstick for movement. This makes it very user friendly and suitable for people aged 7 and over. The cursor sensitivity can be adjusted to various levels as well, which is something that lacks from some point-and-click games and is a welcome addition. However, if you are not a fan of using Joy-Cons for this game, touchscreen mode is also available, tapping once to select an item, and tapping twice to return to the previous location.

You begin at Ruby's secret lair and immediately you will have to make your way around, attempting to solve clues, crack codes, and not annoy a pesky cat, all in the hope that it will lead you to capturing Ruby, who appears to always be one step ahead. Ruby's lair is incredibly stylish with a 60s look featuring lots of geometric shapes and angles, which would make an abstract artist blush. Agent A needs to make certain that there is no picture, vase, desk, comfy pillow, even a Yak's head left unturned. There is a variety in the puzzles you will need to solve. There is an inventory section which appears on the right hand side of your screen once an object is selected which may prove to be important somewhere else. Observation is also key throughout as you manoeuvre from one location to the next. A solution to one puzzle may very well be on display in another location. There are also codes and patterns which need to be memorised - or if you have a terrible memory, you can always take note of them, to prevent you from going back and forth multiple times.

This game pleasantly surprised me in lots of different ways. The puzzles are excellent and focus on different areas such as logic and memory. The game forces you to be as observant as possible, and while you may finish one chapter, it does not mean that you can forget all you have learned, as you may need to return to the area at a later stage. Keeping that in mind made the game keep me on my toes throughout, and although the puzzles were not extremely difficult, the tasks involving memory were the tasks which took the most energy out of me. The plot is also engaging, with the addition of a few quirky characters – both human and animal alike. Once I started playing, I could not put the game down, and almost 8 hours later, it was completed. I was captivated from start to finish.

The only negative I found with the game was that it unfortunately lagged during two of the cut scenes. I am not sure if this is an issue with the Nintendo Switch game or if it is across the board, but the sound became distorted for me at the beginning of Chapter Three. While it was a bit of a deterrent, it did not take away from the game all too much as you could still understand what was being said. The game auto-saves during and after each chapter, however if you want to go back to a previous chapter, it will warn you that it will erase your save game from subsequent chapters.

Agent A: A puzzle in disguise is an absolute gem of a game and is well worth a purchase, whether discounted or at full price. It had me engrossed for hours with its great puzzles and storylines - it was so much fun to play, and some of the characters featured added to the humour of the game. I could also not help reminiscing about the Carmen Sandiego franchise while I was playing. While I usually favour PC for point-and-click adventures, it did not feel all too strenuous playing on the Switch, thanks to the ability in changing cursor sensitivity and the option to use touchscreen. So, if point-and-click adventures involving spy-chasing and code-cracking are your thing, do not delay in adding Agent A: A puzzle in disguise to your collection. Here is hoping for an Agent B-centric sequel. Fingers crossed.

Tina’s Rating: 4.5 Diabolical Schemes out of 5.

For more information on Agent A: A puzzle in disguise please use the following links... Yak & Co - Developer | Publisher | Facebook | Twitter | Website

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