Tick Tock : A Tale for Two
Nintendo Switch

Developed By : Other Tales Interactive
Published By : Other Tales Interactive
Category : Adventure, Puzzle, Multiplayer
Release : Dec 05, 2019

Multiplayer games are a heavy boom in the market right now. And there’s a big slider range on just how necessary it is to play with another person, and on top of that how much communication is required between players. Most games don’t even really require you to communicate with those that you’re playing with, you just cross your fingers and hope the stars align. However, Tick Tock : A Tale for Two on the Nintendo Switch is one of the rarities that is completely unplayable unless you communicate with a second player.

You find yourself in the game trapped in a mysterious world with your friend, by the clockmaker Amalie Ravn. As you can expect, this is a world you want to be rid of, but you’ll find yourselves navigating a very clock inspired world filled with all sorts of traps and puzzles before you can earn your freedom. You’ll dive into the world of the Laerke family who has a long history of clock-making (surprise).

But, you’ll need to work together to do all of this. While the world is full of puzzles for you to solve, they are conveniently split up in completely different areas so you will never be able to see the puzzle and the hints to it’s solution at the same time. This is where communication becomes key, as one person will be in charge of the puzzle itself while the other will have to relay whatever hints or instructions they find.

For instance, one such puzzle sees the first player in front of a jack-in-the-box type object. The crank on this must be turned in specific directions a set number of times, and it’s the second player who finds the piece which contains these instructions. Another has the players putting bits of a conversation together in the proper order, but each one has half of the pieces and they’re very broken up.

Speaking on the communication specifically, Tick Tock is available on multiple platforms, including PC and mobile/tablet. No matter which platform you have the game on there is no dedicated online access, so all you really need is a way to communicate with the other person you’re playing with. Whether it’s a classic phone call, hopping on Discord, Skype, or even sitting in the same room together, communication is absolutely key for making it through this game.

I absolutely enjoyed my time with this game, since puzzle games are my bread and butter. Normally I tend to shy away from games that force a multiplayer scenario, but this is the rare occasion where I’ll actually praise it. Tick Tock splits it’s puzzles up in a brilliant way, and you may even find yourself reliving a bit of the old Myst days and needing to take notes as you work through some of the puzzles. If you were really dedicated to playing this one solo, you might be able to get away with picking it up on two separate devices, but going through it with someone definitely makes this game a lot more fun.