By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Blanc, on the Nintendo Switch, is a wonderful cozy game for a night-in playing with friends or a loved one. By playing with another, you can enjoy the full game in about 2 to 3 hours as either the deer-fawn or wolf-pup (or even switching between the two). I recommend that you play with another person because the controls are more of a challenge when trying to navigate both characters at the same time, though you can play this game alone if you want.

Most of the game is a mix of navigation and puzzle-solving; both aspects evoke feelings similar to playing Journey due to the choice of wind-based puzzles and the slow crawl through the setting. The music is gentle, and there is no rush to complete the game, so you and a partner can have fun exploring the map a little as you travel through the snow-covered grounds in search of your respective families who have seemingly traveled the same path. One part I liked a lot is the art style, which makes it feel like something sketched into a children’s storybook.

Admittedly, the game has some messy controls, particularly if you are playing by yourself but also if you play as a team. For example, the biggest issue for me as I played the wolf character was that the pull button would often get stuck on two-player tasks. This made it take twice as long to complete the task as my partner waited for my character to work. It felt like this aspect could use more polish, and I think that the way the camera follows the two characters could also use an update in the future, particularly as you near the end of the chapters and enter into cut scenes since the camera will linger behind and create blind spots. However, any frustration you might have isn’t going to last because those moments of being “stuck” or having to backtrack will fade as quickly as your characters advance through the story.

I was hesitant over the price tag because of how short of a game it is, but I’m actually very happy with the purchase. It was the perfect amount of time for my friend and I to really settle in and enjoy the experience without feeling like the puzzles were taking too long and without worrying that we would have to pause the game and find time to finish it later. At a little under $16, it was worth the price to be able to play this short, multi-player game. It was not violent like so many two-player games often are, and it was not made up of a bunch of overly complicated puzzles. Probably the most difficult challenges were the wind-related tasks, but even those go pretty quick. I can definitely see myself playing this game multiple times with friends or family members during season breaks or long weekends.

As many of you may know, I am not much of a gamer. I prefer games to be really intuitive, meaning I want something that is easy to navigate and not complicated. This game was perfect for me because that’s exactly what it is–simple, cute, and fun! Overall rating: 9 /10