Studies suggest that persons with Bipolar Disorder have greater difficulty maintaining attention than those without an attention-impacting diagnosis. My psychiatrist has advised me that my difficulties with inattention will likely increase over time.
When it comes to focus and attention, I have always had two modes: distractable and profoundly focused, with little in-between. It seems that, over the years, the types of things on which I can sustain focus have diminished greatly.
Way back in the 1900s, for instance, I beat Infocom’s Deadline without hints. I could never do that today. I can’t really play puzzle games anymore, a thing I mourn as a loss, but it simply isn’t possible. Only a few things are certain to sustain my attention over long stretches of time: Inform7 programming, writing about Inform 7, writing game criticism, and the rare video game. The problem of reviewing games when I have so much trouble playing them is currently unsolved.
This is all to say that I quite literally cannot evaluate the many puzzles that constitute Enigmart. I would like to say, though, that I have seen Enigmart discussed a good bit in online spaces, and it is clear that people are enjoying it.
But what of the visual presentation of Enigmart? This is something I can spend time with and evaluate comfortably.
Accessibility
Enigmart boasts two color schemes, a thoughtful touch that light-sensitive players will appreciate. Dark mode consists of a white (#ffffff) on blue (#00328a) background, and light mode consists of black (#000000) on white (#ffffff). Contrast is good at 18px font size, passing WCAG 2.1 and meeting or exceeding APCA. Link color, meanwhile, is either yellow (#ffe53e) or blue (#00328a). Both pass WCGA 2.1 and APCA at 18px font size.
While many puzzles are presented as images, they are accompanied by image descriptions that consist of text-only puzzles. This is a welcome and considerate practice, and an indicator of Enigmart’s commitment to accessible design.
General Appeal
Enigmart is a good-looking game. Questions of contrast aside, I really like the dark mode presentation, which is really more of a “blue mode” than it is the typical “black mode” or “charcoal mode” we often see. Corporate logos and visual puzzles complement the mood and gameplay of the work.
While most puzzles are solved by typing a word into a field, many work differently. For instance, a few puzzles consist of multiple drop-down menus. Such variants offer not only mechanical but visual changes of pace.
Would I do anything different
I would learn more about how font size is calculated. For myself, not for this game.
Overall Assessment
This is a standout game with an appealing dark mode, images complemented by alt-text puzzles, and an alternative color scheme. My impression is that a lot of care went into the presentation of Enigmart, and that effort has paid off. Contrast is very strong throughout. In terms of both accessibility and visual appeal, Enigmart succeeds.
Bonus point: it looks great on mobile, too.
