Content Check: Paper Trail

Paper Trail is a top-down puzzle adventure set in a world made of paper. You play Paige, a young academic leaving home for the first time, and you solve puzzles by folding, flipping and sliding the pages of the world to open new paths. Critics praise the hand-drawn, printmaking-and-watercolour look and the way the puzzles keep introducing fresh ideas, and Steam tags it Cozy, Wholesome, Relaxing and Family Friendly. It gets the same four checks as everything else here.

Here’s the full check: the Steam store page and complete tag list, the DLC list (the soundtrack is the only add-on), and a spread of critic and player coverage. I haven’t played this one myself, so this is a screening, not a playthrough, and I’d rather say so than imply otherwise.

Verdict: Recommended. It clears all four checks.

Magic — None

Nothing on the store page, in the tags, or in the coverage I read points to spellcasting, enchanted objects or anything magical. The store page calls the art style “enchanting”, which describes the look, not the content. The folding is a puzzle mechanic, not a magic system.

Spirits & religion — None

No ghosts, spirits, gods or worship mechanics turned up. The story is about leaving home and the people Paige meets along the way.

Violence — None

It’s a puzzle game. There’s no combat in anything I read, and the Steam tags are Wholesome, Relaxing and Family Friendly.

Holiday — None

Nothing is built around a holiday, and the only DLC is the soundtrack. I found no seasonal events.

Paper Trail is available on PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and mobile.

If you want to see how this compares to other games I’ve checked, the Vetted Games Database has all of them in one place, and How I Choose Games explains the four checks.