Framed

In Framed you have to arrange comic panels to tell a story. This simple concept has been pulled off marvelously by Loveshack Entertainment. Graphically inspired by Film Noir, Framed has players controlling dastardly do-wrongs, swapping comic panels to avoid the law and get around obstacles.

The Good

The game is stylistically unique and beautiful. I loved the pastel backgrounds and sillouhetted characters, the whole thing nailed the Noir styling and I wish we could see more of that. The gameplay is deceptively simple, it's easy to understand but the game does make you think while not being so hard as to detract from the main point, which is the story and ambiance. After finishing the game, there is quite a bit of replay value as during a second playthrough certain panels can be rearranged in a new order to bring a bit of change in the story.

The Bad

If players do happen to screw up a section, when replaying it there is no way to skip animations so you have to watch the entire thing again. This can get frustrating during certain segments as some puzzles rely on process of elimination to solve so you'll surely end up repeating parts unless you're really lucky. This caused me a little furstration and took away a bit of immersion in the plot.

The Verdict

Framed has character, which is something a lot of mobile games don't have. Playing it you could really feel the care that the developers put into it and that only added to the experience. Games like this are what makes mobile gaming so compelling. It is a unique story-telling experience that is perfect for smaller screens. Truly, Framed is one of the must-have mobile games of 2014.