Review: Figment (Switch)

by Michael Brandse 

Creative and whimsical with villains that sing about their evil. What’s not to like?

Figment first caught my eye when I saw it at GDC2018. I remember this surreal game that looked interesting, but unfortunately I never quite got the chance to play it. Now I finally got a chance to sit down with Figment, and I am glad I did.  

Figment’s main strength is easily its presentation. The world is surreal, rich and weird, full of wonder of what to expect next. Everything is beautifully rendered and many things have a bouncy feel to it. For a lack of better words, the world of figment feels alive. Figment takes place in the human mind and as such, the worlds of figment are inspired by the various functionalities of the brain such as creativity. Expect to see things like giant ears that only react when you grow instrument plants to the right height.

As surreal as the world is, the villains you fight throughout the game are even better. When they fight you, they dance and sing about how evil they are and all the things they are going to do to you! It’s hilarious, adorable, and truly makes for a satisfying end to every world you travel to. It helps also that the songs themselves are super catchy. By the end of the game, I was hoping that they would give me some way to revisit just those battles so I could enjoy their shenanigans a bit more (unfortunately, they didn’t).

From a game-play standpoint, Figment is a bit on the basic side. The main character has a basic attack and charge attack and a dodge roll to get out of the way. Enemies (outside of the main villains) are also not all that varied, with very basic patterns in how they attack you. Enemy variety is not Figment’s strong point. Combat however, is just window dressing as Figment’s main focus are its puzzles. Every area has its own particular gimmick around which puzzle are built. While satisfying, puzzles are generally not all that difficult and often follow video-game tropes such as block pushing or switch puzzles. If you get stuck, it’s mostly due to being unable to find that one item you need to continue. There are some optional collectibles as well which require a bit of creative thinking to get, but nothing that will stump you for a long time. I hoped figment would have a bunch more surreal puzzles, since it would fit the theme and it feels like a bit of missed opportunity that they didn’t. All in all, while not bad, game-play is Figment’s weakest element.

That being said, with musical villains that will sing about their nefarious plans and a world that is as surreal as it is colorful, Figment truly is a game with tons of charm. If you would like to play something off the beaten path or just get something that puts a smile on your face, get Figment. You won’t regret it.

Final Score 8.5

[Review code provided by the publisher]