The Librarian – A Short but Sweet Point-and-Click Adventure!

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Overview

The Librarian Special Edition is a succinct point-and-click adventure game created by Octavi Navarro in 2020 following the successful release of an earlier version in 2018. Players take on the role of the titular librarian attending to a mysterious call out during the night!

Gameplay

The librarian uses simple mouse-only point-and-click controls and gameplay. There is a combination of inventory-based and observational puzzles; these are logical and succinct and quite satisfying to solve. There are no superfluous items to inspect or look which helps to keep the game concise at around 20 minutes of playtime.

Narrative

The story begins with the librarian fast asleep, they are soon awoken by an owl carrying a mysterious note about a problem at the library! The protagonist soon makes their way out of the house and off to find out what the matter is. The narrative is short but surprisingly sweet given the ominous nature of the location and some of the obstacles encountered along the way!

Styling

The Librarian features some delightfully moody pixel art in muted reds, blues and purples with warm lighting that really fits the game’s setting and story elements. The mildly melancholy and mysterious music is entrancing, featuring primarily piano and strings and the sound effects are both immersive and atmospheric – the wind howling at the start of the game is particularly striking.

Summary

The Librarian uses its short playtime to full effect, cramming in satisfying puzzles, an interesting little narrative and an unusual and curious setting. It is a great example of a point-and-click game and would be perfect to enjoy on a short break or with a cup of tea!

Full Playthrough

A full playthrough (no commentary) can be found on the Indie Hive YouTube channel:

For more short games check out the following articles:
Five Free Short Games on itch.io for Busy Bees! – itch.io Highlights – Four Short and Free Games to Enjoy! – Three Free Games Short Enough to Play on a Lunch Break!

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