Some memories are easier to keep than others. A photograph, an old sticker, a scribbled note – all can be enough to send us straight back to another time. That idea sits at the heart of Pieced Together, a cosy scrapbook adventure now available on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Xbox Play Anywhere.
Priced at £8.79, Glowfrog Games’ gentle puzzle experience invites players to sort through the memories of Connie, a woman looking back on a difficult chapter of her life and the friendship that helped her through it. Originally released on Steam earlier this year, where it has picked up Very Positive reviews, Pieced Together is less about testing your brain to its limits and more about taking your time with a carefully told story.
At A Glance
- Game: Pieced Together
- Developer: Glowfrog Games
- Publisher: Glowfrog Games
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Play Anywhere
- Price: £8.79
- Genre: Cozy Puzzle / Narrative Adventure
- Playtime: Around 1-2 hours
A Scrapbook Full Of Memories
Pieced Together puts the scrapbook itself at the centre of the experience. Each page offers a small collection of activities, with players sorting mementos, rebuilding damaged photographs and tackling gentle logic and word puzzles as Connie works her way through memories from her past.
Hand-drawn illustrations and animations help each page feel like something that has been assembled by hand rather than simply another screen to work through. And then there are also stickers to unlock as the journey progresses, giving players the opportunity to decorate the scrapbook and add their own little touches to Connie’s collection of memories.
A Story About Connie And Beth
Behind those puzzles is a much more personal story.
Connie is now in her 30s, looking back at a difficult period that began when her family moved to the city when she was ten. Feeling isolated and out of place, she eventually found a friend in Beth – a confident, outgoing girl who became a huge part of Connie’s childhood. The pair remained close throughout their school years, but time has a habit of changing things. Years have now passed since they last spoke, leaving Connie to question what their friendship means to her today. As she works through the scrapbook, she begins writing a letter to Beth. That leaves one particularly important question hanging over the story – should Connie reach out and reconnect, or is there a reason some parts of the past are better left alone?
But you shouldn’t come to Pieced Together expecting fiendish brainteasers. Its puzzles are designed to keep the story moving rather than bring everything to a grinding halt.
That should ensure the game is delivered as a natural fit for anyone looking for something relaxing, particularly if traditional puzzle games can sometimes feel a little too demanding. The scrapbook format also gives Glowfrog Games plenty of opportunities to change things up from one page to the next, with different activities and little details to discover.
And yes, there are cats too. Quite a few of them, in fact.
A Short Journey With Something To Say
Pieced Together isn’t looking to occupy dozens of hours. This has been designed to take around one to two hours, making it a compact adventure that can comfortably be completed in a sitting or two.
For Xbox players looking for something a little different from the usual stream of action games and sprawling adventures, Pieced Together offers a much quieter proposition. It’s a small game, but one built around a very relatable idea – that sometimes the hardest thing to piece together isn’t a photograph, but how you feel about the past.
Pieced Together is available now on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere support, priced at £8.79 from the Xbox Store. It’s on Steam too if you prefer.
