A Weekend in Puzzleburg

A Weekend in Puzzleburg introduces players to a relaxed RPG experience where puzzles and quizzes are the norm. With nearly endless narrative possibilities, this is a game that rewards curious players willing to see everything that the idyllic town of Puzzleburg has to offer.

With its relaxed gameplay and solid dialogue, A Weekend in Puzzleburg is a JRPG experience like none other. Help the locals, solve mysteries, and eventually find one of the game’s many endings, only to play it all over again thanks to the game’s incredible replay value.

A Puzzling Vacation

The game takes place in the cozy town of Puzzleburg. Your character arrives there for a nice, relaxing vacation. However, this town is well-known for its puzzles, which can be found all over the map and even come up in some characters’ dialogue.

Before you begin your adventure, players can customize their characters in any way they like. Although this is a nice bonus, the RPG Maker visuals somewhat limit what you can do with your character’s model. Fortunately, characters have some nicely-illustrated portraits during conversation sequences where you can see the game at its best.

Make Some Friends

A Weekend in Puzzleburg might take pride in its puzzles, but one of the most entertaining aspects of the game is its town citizens. Much like Animal Crossing, players can follow each of the NPCs' routines through their daily lives, allowing them to see a new facet of every character each time they visit them.

The game follows a similar pattern to other titles like The Good Life or even The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in which every townsfolk follows a schedule each day of their lives. As you grow closer to them, you’ll unveil their secrets and backstories, which are all pleasantly detailed.

A Weekend in Puzzleberg has a very relaxed tone that’s great to get lost in. It proves that not every game has to be a challenge — some of them are just perfect to play during a long commute or when you get home after a long day at the office.

Retro Looks

As I mentioned before, one thing that might scare away some potential players is that A Weekend in Puzzleberg was made in RPG Maker. We’ve seen countless games made with the same engine over the years, and that’s both a blessing and a curse.

There’s nothing wrong with the way the game looks, but I can’t help but feel like this is one of those titles that would have benefitted from a more detailed art style in its overworld sections. Think of something like Stardew Valley; that would have been the perfect look for a relaxed game such as this.

Pros

• Amazing replay value
• Well-written dialogue and characters
• Challenging puzzles that are never too difficult for the player

Cons

• The visuals are a bit disappointing