Like Metroid, in space, plus photography.

Saira isn't a bad game. Not exactly.

It's inventive, for sure. Saira boasts an in-game photography mechanic that allows you to take pictures of the world, then reference them later; as an exploration-centric game, this is used fairly effectively as a way to record hints, Myst-style, then refer back to them when solving a puzzle. There are some items that grant bizarre powers, like temporary flight, and the game world is set up to provide some slightly-grounded but surprisingly-surreal experiences. Also, it has space travel, and everything is better in space.

But these cool high-concepts are let down by some very unpolished execution. The controls are outright awful by default, and even when re-bound, the contextual actions hardly make sense. Navigating in-game menus, and sometimes navigating complex puzzle screens, is consistently awkward and troublesome. Vital information about how the game works is relegated to tiny text at the edge of the screen, and not highlighted at all. That photography element? While neat in theory -- since there's no "gallery" viewer, scrolling through photos quickly becomes an exercise in frustration. And the game's design sense is, frankly, dull. I get that the game is going for a "tranquil" feel, but the absence of detail and interesting art just makes the experience boring.

Saira's ideas show promise, but it seems more like a prototype for a game than like a finished product on its own. On the other hand, it's free, so it's hard to complain too much. ... Even though I just did.

Progress: Slightly into the ice world.