NAIRI: Tower of Shirin Critic Reviews

While I think Nairi: Tower of Shirin had a potential to be a perfectly-scored game, I have to dock enough points to keep it just below it. Subject yourself to the setback of an unsatisfactory ending but experience an otherwise extraordinary graphic adventure. I highly recommend you to join Nairi and Rex on their journey, and hope that I get to join them on a sequel very soon!

There’s a good chance you’ve probably never heard of NAIRI: Tower of Shirin, but that doesn’t mean this hidden gem should pass you buy. Sure, it doesn’t have the pedigree of a Double Fine game or the licence exposure of something from TellTale’s back catalogue, but it still offers up a safe and engaging world full of quirky characters, challenging puzzles and all the screen-tapping backgrounds you could ask for. It’s no great reimagining of the genre, but it’s still a curio worth playing nonetheless.

Tower of Shirin felt like just the right length to me and didn’t leave me feeling like I had played half of a game, but the cliffhanger ending leaves Nairi way short of fulfilling her quest. I don’t see this as a strike against the game, but being forewarned may save some people from being disappointed.

The story is conveyed well via good writing, with enough twists and revelations that make it feel like a children's show due to the subject matter and higher stakes involved. The puzzles are great brain teasers but also have the good sense to not fall into the trap of being difficult for the sake of it. Most of all, that art style is too attractive to pass up, with every character being extremely likeable. Provided you don't mind the cliffhanger ending, Nairi is a worthy pickup for adventure fans.

Nairi: Tower of Shirin has remarkable, gentle humor with great storytelling and challenging puzzles that will keep you thinking for hours.

NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a gorgeous and entertaining puzzle adventure with charming characters. It lasted me, a puzzle novice, 8-10 hours, but mileage will vary. If you can forgive the awful cliffhanger ending, this is a game worth buying. But wait a couple weeks so the developer can fix the serious game-stopping bugs!

NAIRI: Tower of Shirin is a delightful and cozy point-and-click adventure you can feel good about letting your kids play. The puzzles are creative, the dialogue is a little childish but sweet, and the overall presentation is fairly pleasing. It does take a bit for the narrative to pick up but once it does you won’t want to stop playing, however, extended sessions with a soundtrack that is not memorable at best and a lack of voice acting can feel taxing as you stare silently at the screen. It’s an enjoyable experience that, with a few tweaks, would easily be a must-have for the casual gamer that wants to relax.

If you are looking for a quiet afternoon on the sofa or something to play with younger audiences then Nairi: Tower of Shirin is a tale of adventure that will not disappoint.

Nairi: Tower of Shirin is an interesting point and click proposal for the Nintendo Switch, one that features a captivating art style, an involving plot and a fluid control system. Its accessible difficulty level and rather short lifespan make it more recommendable to those looking for a simple experience who will find many reasons to enjoy themselves with this piece of work.

While the journey is more important than the destination, the fact NAIRI lacks a traditional conclusion - leaving many arcs and themes in a resolution limbo - hurts the narrative considerably. Considering just how much the story focuses on Nairi as a character, a cliff-hanger ending that places emphasis on plot comes off structurally inappropriate at best. That said, the script, atmosphere, and puzzles all warrant at least one playthrough. Tower of Shirin might fall much flatter than it needed to thanks to a poorly realised ending, but NAIRI, as a whole, is a charming point-and-click with plenty of heart.

Nairi: Tower of Shirin is a beautiful-looking title, but finishes feeling rather rough and unfinished. There are plenty of puzzles to enjoy, but the script takes some strange turns and I can’t help but feel like there should have been more to the story.

Nairi: Tower of Shirin has plenty of character, but at times it’s so heavy on the slow-moving text that it feels too much like a children’s book.