The Pedestrian is incredibly cool on paper. Its clever idea of shuffling around street signs to solve puzzles is definitely a unique one, and there are some good uses of it and some genuinely good puzzles, but unfortunately there's one problem with the game that severely damages the experience: its consistent inability to give you any idea as to how you're supposed to make use of its mechanics.

The only thing the game lets you know about at all is the basic controls. Every single mechanic here is thrown at you with nothing to show how you're actually supposed to use it. It just drops something new in your lap and says "alright, good luck!" This wouldn't be as much of a problem if the mechanics were something that you could easily understand just by looking at it, but that is often times not the case. Even right at the beginning, there's nothing that lets you know that ladders and doors are only useable if they are close enough to the other door that you have it connected to. That's something I really would have liked to know from jump, instead of figuring it out by accident. Later on, there's a mechanic where you can paint certain panels green by connecting it to a paint dispenser. How, pray tell, was I supposed to figure out that painted panels don't have their contents reset when something is disconnected from them? That is a wildly specific thing for the game to just expect you to intrinsically know. I don't even want an extensive tutorial, all I need is an illustration or something in the corner of the screen so I have any clue as to what the hell I'm supposed to be doing.


The game also has some cases of needlessly obtuse puzzle design at some points. This really comes to a head at the end of the game, where it suddenly becomes a first-person game in-between the platforming segments. This was actually really cool at first, and a pretty nuts twist on the previous portions of the game. Then you get to the puzzles, and the game just expects you to know that pushing a crate into a corner on one of the panels makes a box materialize in the real-ass world, and that you're supposed to place that box on a random part of the floor in order to continue on the panels. It does not at all indicate that pushing the crate will spawn the box, it gives you no idea where it is at all, and it gives you no idea where you're supposed to place it in order to continue. This is just beyond all normal logic or reason, and expecting players to just know that is not particularly good game design. I genuinely do not know how they expected anyone to figure that out without a guide.

It sucks, because these devs are obviously very talented and passionate about their work, but this game is just not intuitive at all. They just expect you to know every one of its mechanics, and when the mechanics are often times not something you can figure out easily by yourself, it really drags the whole experience down. I did not like this game very much. But thankfully, it manages to wrap itself up before it really overstays its welcome.

🕗 Total time played (approx.): 4h
🏆 Completion: 100% (10/10 Trophies)

REVIEW:

"The Pedestrian" beckoned me with its promise of unconventional puzzles and the opportunity to experience the world from the perspective of a pedestrian navigating street signs. The initial stages of the game held promise, offering clever challenges that engaged my cognitive faculties and encouraged me to think outside the box. The unique premise and charming presentation initially piqued my interest, inviting me to explore the various dimensions of a world typically ignored. However, as I continued my journey through "The Pedestrian", I found myself contending with a sense of weariness. The game's mechanics, though initially intriguing, began to lose their luster over time. The constant rearranging of panels and the manipulation of street signs, while novel at first, eventually transformed into a repetitive chore that hindered my overall enjoyment. The game's core mechanics, which held so much promise, ultimately fell victim to monotony, preventing the experience from reaching its full potential. The presentation, while initially captivating, suffered a similar fate. The juxtaposition of the two-dimensional sign world with three-dimensional environments was visually appealing and thought-provoking in the beginning. However, the novelty quickly wore off, leaving me yearning for greater variety and a deeper sense of immersion. The visual contrast, which initially seemed innovative, gradually transformed into a gimmick that failed to maintain its impact over the course of the game. One of the most frustrating aspects of "The Pedestrian" was its shift in perspective during the later puzzles. What was intended to be a fresh and challenging approach to puzzle-solving instead felt forced and overly complicated. The abrupt change in mechanics detracted from the overall experience and left me feeling disoriented and, at times, even irritated.

While "The Pedestrian" has its moments of creativity and ingenuity, its potential is ultimately hindered by its repetitive mechanics, monotony, and a less-than-ideal shift in perspective. The charm of the game's premise and presentation is unfortunately overshadowed by these shortcomings, preventing the experience from evolving into the captivating journey it aspired to be. In conclusion, "The Pedestrian" offers glimpses of brilliance and creativity, but it ultimately succumbs to monotony and a lack of sustained engagement. The initial promise of unique mechanics and charming presentation gradually wanes, leaving players with a sense of unfulfilled potential. While the game's concept is intriguing, its execution falls short of delivering a consistently engaging and satisfying experience.

⭐ Rating: 2/5