Video Game Review: Carto

Carto

Sunhead Games

Genres: Adventure & Puzzle

Nintendo Switch

Independent video games have a knack for creating some of the most memorable experiences in gaming. They don’t usually have bombastic action scenes or top of the line graphics, but they have a ridiculous amount of charm. Carto is a cute little game that represents the best that independent video games have to offer.

Carto tells the story of a little girl who gets stranded in a foreign land after a disaster in her blimp-like vehicle. To make her way back home, players will need to explore, make new friends, and manipulate the environment. Along the way, players meet tons of characters who are simple but come with a lot of personality. It’s a heartwarming story with a lovely, natural way of telling its story.

The gameplay is simple but feels unique. Players will start the game on a tiny island all alone. On the island, there are a couple of scraps of the world map. Players can take these pieces and use them on the map menu. Each scrap makes up a tile of the map, and players can rotate the tiles and place them in various areas to create a new world around the character. Before long, the world is much bigger and gets populated by colorful characters and new biomes.

While exploration is cute and all, a good chunk of the game will be spent solving puzzles. As players get new tiles, they will need to figure out how to make them fit into the world in a way that allows them to progress. Tiles can’t just be placed wherever. The tiles need to connect in a natural way. A piece of land without a beach can’t suddenly be adjacent to water. The laws of worldbuilding are easy to understand and fun to play around with.

Of course, puzzles aren’t just limited to trying to make the map bigger. Players will need to help the people they meet along the way. An early example is a fisherman that players will meet in what basically is the game’s tutorial. The fisherman wants to get back home and asks players to take him there, which is apparently to the East of a house in the grasslands. Players will need to move the tile that the fisherman lives on in a way that puts him where he needs to be. This is a simple puzzle that the game offers, but it does a great job at teaching players how Carto wants them to approach the game.

The worlds are full of ambient noises and cute little tunes. Players will explore different types of biomes, each with their own music and sound effects. The change in setting is always welcome and keeps the game feeling fresh. Regardless of where the players find themselves, Carto always feels like a peaceful affair. The puzzles are challenging, but never overwhelming. This and the nice atmosphere make Carto an easy choice for those who just want to play a nice game without any overwhelming pressures.

The cute art style and soft palettes only add to this nice atmosphere. The worlds are bright, giving the game a sense of childhood wonder.

There isn’t really a video game out there like Carto. It’s one of a kind, in both presentation and gameplay. It can be enjoyed by all sorts of players, especially those who will be captivated by the wholesome story that it tells. Those who like puzzle games or are just looking for something cute to play should check this one out.