Published by Ocean Media and developed by Tiny Little Lion, Gallery of Things: Reveries is part of the studio’s library of themed puzzle games. It was originally released on Steam in 2023 and is now available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.

Gallery of Things: Reveries is a collection of various puzzle games with a lot of random images that don’t make sense, but somehow, it draws you in and makes you want to solve them. It is described as an artistic journey that captivates the mind and stirs the soul, and the overall style and presentation are deeply influenced by the whimsical and thought-provoking Dadaism art movement.

The game spans 36 levels with increasing difficulty, each stage meticulously crafted to be a visual and intellectual challenge. Players are immersed in montages that blend the surreal with the familiar, urging a deeper contemplation of the interplay between humans, nature, and technology.

The puzzles, as wild and random as they’re presented, are straightforward to play, and the controls are just simple point and click which is all it needs. The game is easiest to play on a PC using a mouse, but the Switch and PS5 versions can control the cursor using either of the two thumbsticks and a single button to select the objects and solve puzzles.

Controlling the cursor on the console versions can be a little finicky, especially when you have to be really precise with positioning it on smaller objects, but thankfully, there’s an option to adjust the cursor’s sensitivity. The Switch version has touchscreen capabilities which is a nice option and helps players to be more precise with selecting objects big and small, but the drawback with that feature is that the pictures are then too small to see in handheld mode on the Switch’s small screen. This, of course, will vary between different people and how good their eyesight is.

Overall the puzzles are fun, enjoyable and relaxing to play and keep the mind sharp. Constantly seeing random images all over the screen can be a little overwhelming, but it somehow catches your intrigue and can be a little addictive for some players. If players are struggling to solve the puzzles, they can get help by clicking on the star which points out the next part they can solve, and use it again after a cooldown period. In certain games, players can also move the cursor all over the screen and keep pressing the button until it selects the objects, but of course, the real fun is by playing the game as intended, and there are plenty of collectibles to discover.

In certain sections, players will be thrown into a puzzle that’s connected to the main game. Some puzzles are easy to figure out, but there’s a lot that could do with a more solid explanation for how they actually work. Clicking on the question mark will provide some information, but it’s way too vague, still leaving you clueless on what to do and forcing you to try to figure it out on your own. The overall game is still fun, but this does dampen the experience a little.

The style and presentation are certainly going with something very abstract, and only people with a unique viewpoint will understand them. They either have a very relaxing and calming atmosphere or might feel like subliminal messaging. Whichever way players look at it, it’s fitting for a simple point-and-click puzzle game. All the images are high-resolution photos that look fantastic on any screen big or small. The background music also has a relaxing feel and compliments everything on the screen, but it can get repetitive the longer you do a puzzle.

For AUD 15, the variety of puzzles it provides is more than enough to keep you busy. It’s best played on PC with a mouse, but still just as enjoyable on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Despite its drawbacks and severe lack of information on certain puzzles, Gallery of Things: Reveries still helps keep the mind sharp, and it’s a great way to relax and unwind, even if the visuals are over the top.

Written by: Sammy Hanson