Attractio
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Attractio
There's not a lot about Attractio to pull you in from a distance. It doesn't look, sound or even feel that great. Its story is obvious and uninteresting. Everything about it screams "knockoff" like a "ROLAX" watch, but don't be fooled: if you're a fiend for devious puzzles, Attractio is the real deal.
With high-quality puzzle games like The Talos Principle available, I don't understand why anybody would pay to play Attractio. Its numerous flaws and bad design decisions aren't something that can be patched at a later date. In fact, the only thing that could save this game is a complete overhaul that replaces everything but the puzzles.
The plot is banal, the writing is tone deaf, and the acting is wooden. Those who can ignore the dressing and focus on the puzzles alone can find some good head-scratching moments and interesting logical interactions. Taken as a whole, Attractio is bipolar; its highs are high and its lows are low. Averaging that out makes it mediocre.
Attractio has solid puzzle mechanics that it uses well and they're varied enough to remain interesting, but they're surrounded by grossly outdated visuals, poor voice performances, and an obnoxious narrative. For $20, the game doesn't really justify its price tag.
Forgettable characters with a lackluster storyline do not help a puzzle game that can be, at times, enjoyable and, at worst, downright infuriating.
Had the team at GameCoder shied away from formula and tried to do something more unique with Attractio, I think we could've ended up with a far better game. As it stands, it feels too "me too"-ish, without any sort of validated story or voice acting, and that makes the $20 purchase one that isn't so, erm, attractive.
It's tough for me to really recommend for or against Attractio. The $19.
Attractio's first-person physics-based puzzles are good enough to stand on their own, which is why it's such a shame that its intrusive and simplistic story undermines their appeal. If you can ignore the obnoxious voice acting and dopey plot long enough to enjoy the satisfying puzzles though, we suggest you do so.
