Trüberbrook, developed by Headup Games, is a point-and-click adventure game that came out for PC on March 12th and will come out for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on April 17th for digital and April 21st for physical. Trüberbrook’s visual style helps it stand out among others in the point-and-click adventure game genre.

This pail is purely decorative.

Most games in this genre are presented in a pixel art style, which generally tinges that feeling of nostalgia for when point-and-click adventure games ruled the PC. But Headup Games’ decision for Trüberbrook’s art direction is one of the things that really makes it stand out.

They built the world in model form and then used photogrammetry to bring those models into the game. The characters are drawn by hand and modeled and animated in 3D to match the realistic setting. The end result is a beautiful environment that matches the tone of the writing and music.

The detail that was put into the sets really comes together in the game.

Point-and-click adventures are nothing new on the PC and are usually controlled with a mouse and keyboard. However, I played the whole game using an Xbox One controller, and it works remarkably well. There are quality of life improvements for the genre, such as a speed up button (for those moments where you are walking everywhere trying to find a solution to a puzzle) and a button to show you which objects you can interact with.

If you aren’t using the reveal button, the right analog stick will naturally stick to items you can interact with. This prevents the dreaded pixel hunt that used to curse this style of game. When you have the ability to use an item you have collected on an object in the world, the UI limits you to only select the item that pertains to the objective.

The solutions to the puzzles will stretch the boundaries of reality at times, but they never go as far out as “classic” games in the genre sometimes resorted to. For the most part, you can easily find yourself in a groove, solving puzzles quickly as the pieces fall into place. There were only one or two puzzles that had me stumped for a while.

The use of actual lighting sets this world apart from other games.

The story is sci-fi in nature and takes place in 1960s Germany. You play Hans, an American quantum physicist who has won a vacation in the quaint small town of Trüberbrook. He plans on taking advantage of the peace and quiet to work on some papers he has been writing. On his first night there, though, his papers get stolen and he sets off on an adventure to get them back.

Even though Trüberbrook is a small town, there is plenty of variety in the scenes, ranging from a diner to a mysterious compound (this is during the Cold War, after all). The character design in the game is great. There is a good amount of diversity in their looks while still maintaining an overall style. The music also does a great job in setting a mood and providing a nice background for the scenes as they play out.

The game is fully voiced in both English and German, and the conversations and jokes are played well. The only real issue I had was when Hans was in danger, his performance didn’t convey that urgency very well. His voice was great for a majority of the game, but whenever strong emotions were required, his tone fell flat. The lines were delivered in a way that seemed like the actor wasn’t aware of what was going on in the scene.

Time will be reflected during different story beats.

Overall, I think Headup Games has delivered an amazing-looking game with an interesting story. I have never thought about trying to play this style of game with my kids, but I think it would be a great way to spend a couple nights. It took me about six hours to complete the game, so I could see us spending about three “movie nights” playing through it. Even though my kids are 5 and 7, I don’t feel the need to use the “kids mode” (which makes the game a bit more family friendly). I think some jokes will be over their head and I didn’t find the content objectionable, but if you’re worried about the content, you wouldn’t really be missing anything by turning it on. The fact that it plays great with a controller means that console fans have a lot to look forward to in April.