We discovered Karambola on this rainy autumn morning while browsing games on Itch.io.
Karambola is an intuitive point and click puzzle game that is immediately immersive with a certain beautiful, intangible quality that you just can’t place my finger on. The artwork has a collage feel to it but with more depth thanks to the right balance of animation so as not to detract from the puzzles themselves.
The story: The evil “bird-thoughts” have attacked a village of fruit (and vegetable) people and they’ve fled across the seasons. Against the backdrop of a given season, each puzzle presents you with a melancholy “fruit person”. It’s hard to describe (check the trailer below) but try and picture a person with the head of a celery or an artichoke. Got it? Good. Now you, playing as Karambola, need to figure out how to solve each puzzle so that the fruit people can be reunited and freed of the evil thoughts possessing their being. The artwork itself is evocative of the loneliness and sadness experienced by each of the characters although the ambient music and voices heard throughout each scene add a layer of overall lightness and whimsy to the game.
The puzzles vary in difficulty and are all solvable in their own unique way. Some are pattern based while others are more musical in nature. Each puzzle comes accompanied with a hint that is presented as a image based clue to guide you, although deciphering the meaning is not integral to the solution. If you do get stuck, you can also click on the icon in the upper left of each puzzle to leave it and come back to it at a later time. You will not be spoon fed here.
Music that fits the mood
The ambient music itself fits the game so perfectly and accompanies you as you work your way through each puzzle. I remember at one point I was stuck on one puzzle particular and had taken a break to grab a snack. I only realized after 20 minutes that the in game music was playing in the background the whole time and had blended into my environment in a very subtle and satisfying way.
Check out the game trailer for a closer look.
Creator: Agata Nawrot
Original music: Avell, Benoit Fleuret and Bird of Either
Play it at Itch.io in your browser.