Norah has crossed the ocean following the trail of her missing husband’s expedition and finds herself on a lush island paradise - a nameless, forgotten place, dotted with the remnants of a lost civilization. This is definitely one for the pencil-chewers to check out.It is 1934, in the far reaches of the South Pacific. It frustrates as the best puzzles often do, but no solutions feel unearned or gimmicky. Call of the Sea ramps up the story towards the end, but I cared far more about the clues than Norah and Harry’s tale. Like any good puzzle game, there is special satisfaction in working out a solution to a conundrum that has stumped you, and that’s the best reward in the game. Searching for clues while submerged is a slog, but ironically the story is also at its strongest beneath the waves.

I found myself dreading the underwater sections, though – the sea definitely wasn’t calling to me. You only have a small area to explore in each chapter, and can always turn a few huts upside down to unearth clues. This makes the game feel more like a journey than a procession of puzzles. In true escape room style, you often encounter devices you don’t yet know what to do with, because the clues lie further ahead. If it’s not in Norah’s notebook, it doesn’t matter. While some puzzles are hard to untangle, you are never left pulling your hair out trying to decide whether this photograph of a bird is the key to it all. The most useful feature is Norah’s notebook: she will only write down actual clues, and will leave space to indicate if you’ve missed one. Each chapter is one distinct puzzle that becomes more layered and complex the more you explore it. The puzzles are carefully crafted, making you feel as if you’re running along a sensible difficulty curve rather than slamming into walls.

Ps4 call of the sea download free