It’s a puzzle game in which the land underneath you is made of large tiles. You play as Carto, a cute little explorer with the power to rearrange those tiles, which opens up new paths to help you get home, and helping out lots of people along the way. There’s a Tove Jansson feel to the art, particularly Carto herself. I love the trees, which are made of a big single leaf, and the way her little feet slap gently on the ground. And there’s a bit where you hug a bear, and jump on a lilypad, and use your powers to help someone find his way home. “Yes! That’s my house,” he says, “and this lady… must be my wife!” And it all looks just the right side of cutesy. There are interior bits too, including a glimpse of a character with a distinctly Carl from Up look. The levels look small and I’m curious to see what kind of structure there’ll be, whether there are plot wrinkles or just a general puzzley niceness for its own sake. Carto should be out this autumn on Steam. Whatever you call it, hit our E3 2020 tag for more from this summer’s blast of gaming announcements, trailers, and miscellaneous marketing. Check out the PC games at the PlayStation 5 show, everything at the PC Gaming Show, and all the trailers from the Xbox showcase, for starters.
