Inua is a hugely charming narrative experience, with visuals to match. Sadly it possesses a flaw or two that stop it from being an essential purchase.
A point and click adventure where you flip between three different time periods, your main aim is to discover the mysteries of a specific icy outpost in the northern reaches of Canada.
This includes walking in the shoes of a young reporter called Taïna investigating a lead about a shipwreck of a craft called The Terror. It mysteriously disappeared and is linked to other strange occurrences – which is where the other time periods come in.
You’ll go to explore the decks of the Terror before it sinks for example – and these past echoes are visited if you look at certain items as Taïna.
The navigation in the game is initially a little confusing (likely due to its touchscreen origins), but eventually it becomes second nature on how to investigate the little diorama-style areas and learn everything that’s in each one – be it people’s stories or the items they uncover.
By and large the quality of the dialogue is solid too, with characters all having clearly drawn personalities and the central mystery of the game slowly but surely drawing you in.
It looks lovely too, with a crisp storybook style that is never too cloying and always manages to gently guide you towards the right person or item.
Sadly despite all these positives there are drawbacks to Inua, with one being the way the narrative is tied up. We won’t throw in any major spoilers, but we found the plotlines never tied together in a satisfying way – and it makes the experience fall a little flat at the final hurdle.
With a game like this – with no real puzzles and only the narrative as its main selling point – this aspect does disappoint.
Regardless we’d still recommend Inua for those looking for a new narrative experience on their Switch, just go in with the right expectations – and waiting for it to get a discount wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
