Is This Seat Taken? Review

 

Platform Played: PC

Developer: Poti Poti Studio
Publisher: Wholesome Games
Genre: Puzzle
Completion Status (How Long to Beat): Yes (7 hours)

Is your favorite part of wedding planning the seating arrangements? If so, boy do I have the game for you. If not, well, this absolves you of all the pressure that comes from tenuous family and friend dynamics. Is This Seat Taken is a game tasking you with placing endearing humanoid shapes in various public situations, such as at an airport terminal, bus, boat etc. The caveat being, each shape has their own unique attributes and desires, for instance, one may not have showered in days, and the other is sensitive to bad odors. The game's aesthetics are reminiscent of Wii era games and ooze coziness. The puzzles never verged into the point of maddening frustration, but were challenging enough to force some real thought and planning. The main campaign ran me approximately seven hours, and I was addicted from beginning to end. The game intersperses a light story which is surprisingly delightful. Is This Seat Taken is a cozy puzzle gem. 

Pros:

• Great concept

• Cute artstyle

• Just the right level of challenge

• The story never gets in the way of gameplay

Cons:

• Extra levels felt easier than the base campaign

One More Try Factors:

Two of the biggest signs that I’m really enjoying a game are how hard it is to stop playing and how much I’m itching to jump back in when I’m not playing.

• Difficulty to Stop Playing: 9/10
• Desire to Return: 8/10

Note: These scores reflect my personal engagement with the game and are separate from the overall score, which considers all aspects of the game.

Overall Score: 9/10