Is This Seat Taken? Review | Are you HAPPY now?
I can be picky too, but this is ridiculous!
Is This Seat Taken? from developer Poti Poti Studio is a cozy puzzle game where players must listen to a group of people’s specific request on where they’d like to be placed in each level. For example, if you’re putting a group of people on a bus, some will want to stand and some will want to sit. But, of course, things get much more complicated than that as you progress.
The best part about the game’s puzzles is that there’s no pressure to complete them in a certain amount of time so you can take as long as you need picking up and putting people down in different places to see what makes them happy. Some folks will have just one rule you need to follow while others will have multiple. There are some levels that could take you twenty minutes to solve, using a bit of trail-and-error as you go, and some that may take you only a couple of minutes. The difficulty increases as you progress through each level, but I never found myself getting frustrated because the puzzles are so fun to work out.
The game takes place over a few different levels taking place in big cities like London and New York. And you’ll also have to solve puzzles at different locations. At first, you’ll be fitting folks on a bus, then in a movie theater, later at a baseball game. This is the perfect way to keep the game from getting repetitive as you move back and forth between each of the different locations, learning new rules for each group of people.
In the game you’ll also meet Nat, an aspiring actor traveling the world to find inspiration and trying to meet her idol. As you complete each level you’ll learn more about Nat and her life, and it really helps keep you motivated to continue so you can find out what might happen to Nat next. Not all puzzle games pay this much attention to detail, but Is This Seat Taken? appeals to both story game and puzzle game lovers alike.
And the game is really funny. I find this important to say because oftentimes puzzle games can be flat and one note, but Is This Seat Taken manages to be multifaceted with cute characters and relatable situations. For example, in the baseball levels you can’t sit those cheering for the home team with those cheering for the visiting team. Who would want to sit next to the competition? It’s simple choices like these that make the game charming and unique.
Is This Seat Taken? was a surprising game for me. It looks simplistic, but its puzzles are incredibly clever, the story is interesting and it’s funny. I only wish it was a little longer because I didn’t want it to end! This is one that you won’t want to miss this year.
Breakdown
Game: Is This Seat Taken?
Developer: Poti Poti Studio
Publisher: Wholesome Games Presents
Availability: PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Game Length: 4-6 Hours
Reviewed on PC via Steam Deck
Final Thoughts
Is This Seat Taken? is an ingenious little puzzle game that will have you wanting more when you finish its final puzzle. Not only are the puzzles fun, not frustrating and not repetitive, but its characters are intriguing and adorable. I had no idea that the game would have a story I’d be really invested in by the end. Is This Seat Taken? is so much fun and I can’t wait to continue to recommend it to fellow puzzle game lovers for a long, long time.