Armikrog, which first appeared on the Wii U when its Kickstarter succeeded back in 2013, has finally launched on the Xbox One. The game, which is mainly a point-and-click adventure game centered around a protagonist called Tommynaut, and his trusty sidekick Beak-Beak; have found themselves crash-landed on a planet called Spiro. The game takes on quite a unique style, something you don’t see that often, being ‘designed’ in clay for the most part. It takes on an almost ‘stop-motion’ experience, something that would remind you of the old Celebrity Deathmatch videos, but way more family friendly.
As you find yourself on this strange new planet, you’re abruptly attacked by the local fauna, which chases you into a fort of some kind called Armikrog. You, and your trusty dog; have to find a way out of this fortress using each other’s skills to solve the various puzzles.
From the get go the game was quite enjoyable, however I did find myself frustrated by the vague nature of each puzzle. The first few were quite easy to understand, but from there on out they only got more elaborate, requiring you to ‘back up’ to prior levels just to find some clue you might have overlooked. On top of that, I find it quite strange that some clues would only be visible to your color blind dog.
The fortress is filled with strange creatures and rather interesting design choices. The game also requires you to remember small clues from one level to the next, because each one of them feeds into the next. Some of them I quickly solved without all the clues, but that’s just luck and persistence, but others would be so strange that you have to do a double take on what the game actually wants from you. One puzzle I found unnecessarily vague was the one where you had to ‘build’ a transformer using clues ‘right in front of you’, which was anything but that easy.
Regardless of this, Armikrog was quite enjoyable and a complete experience. Unlike some puzzle solving games, Armikrog was enough of a challenge to warrant a look from gamers who enjoy that kind of experience. I myself, not being a big fan of puzzle games, would recommend it. However, the game does have its annoyances.
As you play through the game you will come across a baby, which will supply you with magic crystals. This does not come easily as you will have to appease the crying infant by assembling a mobile. The mobile, being a puzzle in itself, requires you to attach small furry animals to ensure the music goes on without interruption. While you’re doing this, there will be a baby crying in your ears, and I found my blood sugar plummeting during this distressing period; and there are several of them.
Other than that, the game offers several hours of puzzle solving goodness, and you won’t be disappointed as long as you keep your expectations in check. There isn’t a huge payoff for the gamer once you do solve all the puzzles, but I believe that’s not what this type of game is mainly about. It’s primarily about the journey, not the destination.
Summary
Armikrog is a point-and-click puzzle solving game which takes you to a strange planet where you have to find a way to escape, using elaborate puzzles and sheer dedication. You’re joined by your trusty flying dog, and with him, you work together to get yourselves off the planet, that is by all metrics trying to kill you. If you’re an avid fan of puzzle adventures, with a bit of comedy in the mix, you won’t be disappointed. Although this is not my type of game, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied with it. The game can become excessively vague, as it does not make things easy. One clue is to always look for the audio waves when you’re playing as the dog. Armikrog is a unique experience, and that’s about it, don’t expect some mind-altering epiphany when you reach the end of the journey, just enjoy it for what it is.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.