Kairo

7.0 Gameplay

Although Kairo's controls are intuitive, both with the keyboard and mouse or a gamepad, it can take a minute or two to become acclimated to the quick speed of camera angle changes. It may feel awkward or jerky at first, but works just fine once you're used to it.

Puzzles

The puzzles in the game are not groundbreaking, but they are still enjoyable and somewhat challenging. Each ruin has a set of machines that must be turned on in order for the main device to initialize, thereby allowing you to progress to the next area. Geometry is, in keeping with the landscape, a major factor in the puzzle design, testing everything from your ability to recognize mathematical sequences to your macro-scale billiards skills. There is a “hint” option in the game menu which will reveal three clues—increasing incrementally in the depth of the guidance they provide—to help you if you are stuck. This is unlikely to happen unless you are incredibly lazy or, in my case, stumble upon a series of rooms in which the environment is interactive, but there are no clues as to how you should manipulate it. Play the game, and you'll see what I'm referring to.

6.0 Story/Setting

There is no story per se. Kairo is all about interacting with a desolate landscape and glimpsing clues as to the demise of a dystopian society. You are essentially a martian, or perhaps even a ghost, exploring the skeletal remains of a collapsed civilization that is glaringly similar to another we all know...

While I appreciated the minimalism at work in both the environment and the “story” progression, I found myself enjoying the atmosphere more and caring less about the former inhabitants of the world and the overall message the game conveys. In the end your journey does serve a purpose, but Kairo is unlikely to appeal to anyone looking for a deep, captivating, or ambitious plot.

7.5 Graphics

The 3D world of Kairo is made up of very basic geometrical shapes, usually being combined to almost give the appearance of a more complex structure. While that doesn't sound very interesting, it actually works. There are buildings and rooms, of course, but they are very simplistic and have little or no beautifying adornments, nor would they be a welcome addition. The grittiness, sparseness and colors (or lack thereof) pervading each room is part of what creates the game's strongest characteristic: its ambiance.

9.0 Soundtrack

The soundtrack—composed by “Wounds” (aka Bartosz Szturgiewicz)—is, in my opinion, the strongest aspect of Kairo. It can be eerie, futuristic, ethereal and unnerving and serves to both enhance the impact of the visuals as well as shape the emotional experience of the player.

3.0 Replay Value

Yes, there is a “secret ending” and some glyphs to collect, but I don't know that they are compelling reasons to replay the game. It's difficult to achieve good replay value on puzzle games because once you've already solved the puzzles (or the VAST majority of them) it is difficult to muster the interest to go back and do it all again.

7.0 Bang For Your Buck

For $7.99 on Steam, this game is a decent investment. Expect about 4-6 hours of gameplay unless you are trying to rush through in an attempt to feel like the all-powerful gamer of the universe.