Hats can be pinched from the tops of pedestrians’ heads or if you’re particularly cruel, you can just empty out trash cans and watch as the street cleaner has to come and tidy it all up. But you can interact with far more than that. That also extends to chunky levers (which feel amazingly good to clank around because of the mandatory Move controllers) that can raise, lower, rotate, or generally mess with bigger structures. Anything coloured with brass is a key interaction in the world, ranging from bin lids to handles that open the entire fronts of houses. As a game, it’s pitched as something like a point ‘n’ click adventure, although Zoink developers prefer to call it a “poke ‘n’ grab”. Sound design is a big part of this: stand at full, giant height and the hubbub of the world washes over you, but lean in close to the tiny denizens of these towns and you’ll be able discern individual conversations, even foot (or hoof) steps. It’s entrancing just to watch the world work around you, and you’ll quickly become a sort of G-rated voyeur, able to peek into the windows of houses to see what their inhabitants are up to, or peer around corners to see if there’s anything tucked away for you to find. Each scene is a densely packed set of dollhouse-sized elements, filled with anthropomorphised animals going about their business. Zoink’s pulled the canted angles and hand-drawn style from its previous games, but leant them a newly pastel-hued, cutesy edge. You’re the eponymous phantom, towering above a series of quiet pastoral scenes. Play It’s a simple but intoxicating premise.
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