Gift Takes You Through A Mysterious Journey Through A Sinking Ship

Is sweet escape the only thing waiting for you in the end?

A Strange But Intriguing Puzzle Platformer

A Peculiar Protagonist With Secrets

Wading through the endless blue water, our protagonist tried desperately to grasp at a pair of glasses that were just slightly out of reach. Yet, no matter how much he struggled, it got farther and farther away…and it faded to black—ah, it was all just a dream. The peculiar diving helmet-wearing main character then wakes up from his reverie, finding himself in the room of a luxury cruise ship. He gathers his bearings and steps outside into a posh-looking lobby, full of passengers that seem all too familiar. Just as things were looking good, the ship suddenly starts to shake violently, and our protagonist passes out from the commotion. Waking up for the second time, he looks around and sees that he has ended up on the lower decks of the ship—and as if it couldn’t get any worse, water rapidly pours in and the ship begins to sink! Looks like this wasn’t an all-expense paid vacation after all. Welcome aboard to Gift.

Gift is an atmospheric side-scrolling puzzle platformer that puts you in the shoes of our mysterious but cute-sized main character, who finds themselves trapped in a luxury cruise ship quickly sinking into the depths of the ocean. Although he cannot remember why he was aboard the luxury ship in the first place, one thing is for sure: he needs to escape before he permanently becomes part of the deep blue ocean!

However, even with that goal in mind, it’s clear that there’s something more to this ship than meets the eye…

Puzzles And Obstacles Galore In This Platformer

As a platformer, players will take control of the protagonist and help him maneuver through the various obstacles set in place by the deteriorating cruise ship. Sprint, run, jump, climb chains, and smash flimsy red wood with your trusty hammer to get around. The goal is to get all the way to the final room on the upper deck, where the ticket to escape is waiting. The interior frequently changes orientation by surprise, leading to situations where a misstep might lead to your doom of falling into spiky wood. As the ship sinks, the water levels will also vary, which may lead to paths that could not be reached before. Make use of these changes and actions to solve the puzzles and escape to freedom before the rushing waters swallow you whole.

Beware, though—the ship seems to be out to get you, with all kinds of dangers waiting for you as you make your ascent to the upper deck. Tsunami-like waves, falling wood and thorn-covered barrels, or strange ghosts might spell out game over for you. Be careful of these hostilities!

Familiar Sights, Memories

You’re not the only one trapped inside the ship—other passengers are too! As you traverse the ship, you will meet a colorful cast of characters who all seem to know you in some way or another. Help them with their dilemmas as well, for their problems can only be solved with your help.

As you journey through, you will also come across glowing objects, all of which can be collected in your album as a memory. Each memory has a little flavor text accompanying it, providing a bit more insight into the main character. While it becomes clearer that the ship definitely has something to do with our enigmatic protagonist, his purpose for being on that very ship is still left in the dark.

A Budding Partnership

Gift is a joint production by two Japanese indie game development companies, Toydium and Million Edge Inc. Million Edge has been in the industry for nine years, having recently celebrated their anniversary just last June. They have lent their skills to numerous titles over the years, notably Valkyrie Elysium, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Catherine: Full Body, and Caravan Stories, to name a few. Their partner, Toydium, is slightly younger than them, having been established as a company in 2019. For both companies, Gift is their debut original game title.

Toydium works on the ambition of creating “works that make everyone smile,” and their company is a place where like-minded people come together and create those very games that strike a chord in their hearts. Million Edge then operates on the belief that their employees’ skills and talents must be shown to the whole world, creating the best work possible. With these two companies striving for the best, it is no wonder that Gift oozes charm and personality to the max.

For their efforts, the game certainly made headlines in the indie festival scene, racking up numerous features across the world, such as in the Nyx Game Awards, the Indie Live Expo Winter 2023, Gamescom 2023, the London Games Festival, and the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2023.

Cute 4-Panel Comics For A Cute Game

As part of their social media campaign leading up to the game, the developers released cute four-panel manga strips on the game’s official X (Twitter) in Japanese. However, they were also released in English a month after the game’s launch on a Steam community news post!

These adorably drawn four-panel comic strips showcased more details about the game’s plot through the different situations players will encounter on their journey and have confirmed no name for our little diver helmet character but instead calling him “an old man.” There are six episodes to these comics, so check them out if you’re curious about them!

Additionally, they also shared an equally adorable play report comic featuring BanG Dream! voice actress Rin Tateishi, who was first able to play the game during the Tokyo Indie Games Summit earlier this year. Afterwards, she was presented with her own copy to play from start to finish, and the comic details her experience with it.

A Profound Tale

While Gift may look nothing special on the outside, the profoundly deep story hidden behind the platforming mechanic is sure to touch your heart in one way or another. The story is well-masked behind all the levels you must go through, and piecing it together and understanding the old man’s story and purpose is worth it to go all the way to the end.

The graphics and art style that are reminiscent of the Little Nightmares series may also entice others to play for the visuals. Although it is classified as a puzzle-platforming game, it’s not terribly difficult to play and to get used to, while also being sufficiently challenging to not be a bore. Reviews on the Steam page also praised it for its immersive atmosphere and good usage of sounds and effects to fully engage its players, which overall made for an enjoyable experience.

If you’re a big fan of narrative-based games with a little bit of puzzle challenge here and there, Gift might just be the next best game to put on your bucket list.

Gift is available to play on PC and macOS through Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.