The Canary Islands, 1503. You have been sent by the Spanish crown on a special mission to find a new Eden. Guanche legends say that this paradise exists on an island close to Tenerife, but no one who tries to find it actually succeeds. By accident, you have ended up on an uncharted island which may be the mythical paradise, but it’s not quite as advertised. Not only is the island full of traps, but the murals left by its previous inhabitants suggest that something darker might be lurking there.

Unravel Puzzles and Ignite Your Path in Guayota

Guayota is an action-adventure game with a heavy focus on puzzles. The overall design is pretty old-school, with hubs that branch off into discreet levels. Most of the puzzles focus on light, with the player collecting luminescent or incendiary stones used to activate monoliths that, in turn, trigger various devices.

Darkness Reveals Hidden Challenges and Rewards

Many levels also contain devices that can extinguish the character’s torch, leaving him lost in the darkness—but this isn’t game over. Losing light sends the player into an alternate version of the level with different puzzles and a different reward for completion. In general, standard levels are trap-heavy challenges based on reflexes, while the ghostly alternate levels focus on more complex puzzles.

Guayota’s Puzzles Test You, But Persistence Wins

For either type of levels, the puzzles are fairly challenging but most people should be able to clear them with some trial and error. The hardest part may be figuring out the occasional new mechanic, though these are usually introduced in a straightforward way.

Because of the focus on puzzles, Guayota is best if your previously featured games were a little less action oriented. It does feature multiple endings and there are plenty of levels when variants are factored in, but it’ll probably still only last for two or three sessions at most.

STREAMER SCORE

Guayota (PC, Switch) - 2024

Overall

3.4

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Summary

Guayota is an old school, puzzle-focused adventure game where death just means a fresh set of challenges.

Steam

Drew Johnston

ANDREW JOHNSTON is a teacher, writer and journalist based out of mainland Asia. He is a regular contributor to Superjump Magazine, where he specializes in independent video games and the gaming culture of East Asia. He has published short fiction in 30 markets and anthologies including Daily Science Fiction, Nature: Futures and the Laughing at Shadows Anthology.