Beyond the Wall – A Charming Point-and-Click Adventure

“Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden – in all the places.” – Frances Hodgson Burnet

Overview

Beyond the Wall is an adorable point-and-click adventure that follows a young girl as she ventures into a magical garden! Players must collect items, solve puzzles and overcome a selection of curious obstacles.

Gameplay

Beyond the Wall implements classic point-and-click gameplay with satisfying inventory and logic-based puzzles that see the main character lighting fireworks, making sleepy tea and feeding caterpillars amongst other things. The puzzles provide a nice level of challenge without being frustrating and the solutions are always logical even when not immediately obvious. There is, however, a hint system available to players if they get stuck. Unfortunately, there are no game settings or options so things like changing the resolution or increasing the brightness are not possible. Overall the game will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to play and is thoroughly enjoyable.

Narrative and Styling

Beyond the Wall’s narrative centres around a young girl who wants to play with her friend. When he does not answer the garden gate she goes, you guessed it, beyond the wall! The game follows her as she embarks on an adventure through a large and magical garden in a bid to reach her friend. The story is pretty family-friendly overall but there is an incidence of a frog smoking a cigarette as well as a couple of creepy moments that might not be appropriate for very young children, similarly, the puzzles may be too difficult for younger players.

The game has a charming hand-drawn art style with a painterly, illustrative look reminiscent of children’s books. It uses dark and muted colours with subtle pops of vibrancy to give the different scenes an ominous and ever so slightly menacing feel.

The music ranges from mysterious to jovial and heavily features acoustic guitar. There is a lot fo variety in the soundtrack considering the length of the game which really helps to create a fairytale atmosphere and immerse the player in the world. Ambient sound effects such as birds chirping or tools being used also help bring the scenes and characters to life. There is no speech or text in the game (outside of the main menu) which makes the game more accessible and solidifies the overall aesthetic as an instrumental part of the conveying tone of each scene.

Summary

Beyond the Wall is a fantastic example of a point-and-click game. It provides engaging and gratifying puzzles in a spooky fairytale setting depicted in beautiful and charming artwork. The sound design is superb and both the soundtrack and sound effects add a lot to the atmosphere of the game. Beyond the Wall tells a short but adorable story that culminates in a delightfully satisfying way and is sure to bring joy to fans of point-and-click games and puzzlers alike!

Playthrough

You can also watch a full playthrough of the game with 100% achievements on our YouTube channel:

If you liked this game you may also enjoy:
Children of Silentown – A Sweet and Spooky Point-and-Click Adventure – Birth – A Delightfully Gruesome Point-and-Click Puzzle Game – Lucy Dreaming – A Rather Spiffing British Point-and-Click Game

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