Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is another satirical point in click game, with charm — but one that has unrewarding gameplay.

Irony Curtain is inspired by classic adventure games, with its emphasis on puzzling. The puzzling present feels different, quirky, and solvable — all of which is great, until you beat each puzzle. There is no sense of reward after solving a really difficult puzzle, which is unfortunate, if like me, you are spending thirty minutes solving one. Of course, it doesn’t have to take thirty minutes as you can easily find answers to the puzzles online, but that ruins the fun! The only incentive to keep going is, well, the quirky characters and story.

Irony Curtain has you experiencing totalitarian Matryoshka during the cold war era, through the eyes of Evan – a low-ranking, humorous journalist pulled right into the middle of an espionage stand-off. As you are uncovering the secrets of the communist country, you’ll also be discovering the mysterious supreme leader’s true agenda.

Puzzling can range from arranging switchboard cables, to putting slides filled with images in a correct order, to stamping papers’ correctly, to just opening keyholes and solving riddles. No matter which kind of puzzle solving is in order, you are bound to find some enjoyment — that is if that’s your cup of tea. Despite the puzzle experience feeling different each time, it doesn’t do anything extraordinary enough to warrant a playthrough for non-puzzling fans. One cool thing it does do, unlike some of the more modern point n click games, is allow you to merge objects into others (for example, you can combine a handle combined with a walkie talkie to create an antenna socket). Speaking of objects, the game has a whopping 170 black market items – a lot of which will leave you thinking.

But in order to think properly, a peaceful environment is helpful, at least if you are like me. Luckily, the game boasts twenty-one gorgeously, handcrafted locations – each of which are painted in a quirky, underused, art style.

Performance-wise, the game runs smoothly, as one would expect with a point in click game. That being said, the controls were a bit finicky. I had to put quite some effort, more than I should’ve, into moving the analog sticks to get the correct outcome I wanted with the cursor. And I was playing with a pro controller too – I can’t imagine how this would feel with a joycon that “drifts”.

At least there’s some soothing music that will get stuck in your head, to hopefully ease the control frustrations. In addition to the euphonious music, the game’s character, Evan, has excellent voice acting.

Overall, it’s another point in click game, with unique puzzles and a charming story. It lacks anything too special, though, making it hard to recommend for those non-enthusiastic about the genre. If you are a puzzle game fan, and can’t seem to find another alternative, this one is definitely worth a look. That being said, if you aren’t a puzzle game fan, or already have your fill of puzzling action, this game is not for you.