Across the Moment

This game is an extraordinary gem, and I personally enjoyed playing it despite some very serious problems. In the end, though, I have no choice but to give it a thumbs down.

Let's start with the good: this is an extremely tough puzzle game, but it is solvable via sheer persistence, and the puzzles are satisfying. They are of Myst-level difficulty: you will have to bang your head against the well many times until you find the solution. Sometimes there are hints, but they are vague and not always helpful. In the end, it is about logical trial and error and your own determination. If that sounds appealing, you might enjoy this game. But now let's get to the problems.

First, it is just chapter 1 of 4, but that is not clear from the title. As such, it ends abruptly.

Second, the English translation is unbelievably bad, likely done via software automation. I would say that it's even comically bad, except that clearly the developer is trying to convey some deep ruminations about the nature of reality. Unfortunately, English speakers will have to endure an almost impenetrable babble.

Third, the controls are very clunky. The button assignment is unintuitive and cannot be configured. The 1st-person motion is wonky and unrealistic, and especially frustrating during the few 3D platforming sequences. 3D platforming is almost always a bad idea. Here it adds nothing to this game except frustration.

The developer has talent and a vision, and is on to something here that could please fans of difficult puzzle games. However, I strongly advise him to do more work on this game and release an update: 1) clean up the controls, 2) redo the English translation with a human professional, and 3) add the words part 1 to the title of the game, because nobody likes to be deceived.