You’re standing in a chic, mid-century modern foyer. There is a gold-leafed fish tank to your left and a suspicious-looking painting of a cat to your right. Somewhere in this house, Ruby La Rouge is plotting your demise. But honestly? You’re mostly just trying to figure out how to open the secret compartment in the coffee table. This is the vibe of Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise, a game that feels like someone dropped a James Bond film into a blender with a high-end 1960s architecture magazine.
It’s stylish. It’s witty. It’s occasionally infuriating.
Most mobile-to-PC ports feel clunky, but this one didn't. Yak & Co, the Australian indie studio behind the game, managed to capture a specific type of "escape room" magic that most big-budget titles miss. They didn't just make a puzzle game; they made a tactile experience where every click—or tap, depending on your platform—feels like you're actually flicking a hidden switch behind a bookshelf.
The Mid-Century Charm of Ruby La Rouge
If you’ve ever watched The Incredibles or an old episode of Get Smart, you’ll recognize the aesthetic immediately. We’re talking sharp angles, vibrant oranges, and teak wood everywhere. The game puts you in the shoes of Agent A. Your mission is simple: find Ruby La Rouge, a double agent who has been taking out your colleagues one by one.
She's good. Like, really good.
She lures you into her secret lair, which is basically a brutalist masterpiece perched on a cliffside. From the moment you step onto the property, you realize the house itself is the enemy. It’s a giant Rube Goldberg machine of death and mystery. You aren’t just looking for a key under a doormat. You’re looking for a magnet to fish a key out of a fountain, which opens a box, which contains a crank, which operates a lift. You get the idea.
What’s clever is how the game handles its environment. In many point-and-click adventures, you’re just pixel hunting. You click every inch of the screen hoping for a highlight. Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise avoids this by making the puzzles logical. If you see a telescope, you know you need to find a lens. If there’s a locked door with four circular indents, you’re looking for four round objects. It sounds basic, but the execution is incredibly tight.
Why the "Puzzles in Disguise" Title Actually Fits
The title isn't just a marketing gimmick.
Many puzzles are hidden in plain sight. You might walk past a wall decoration ten times before realizing the pattern on the wallpaper is actually a code for the safe in the other room. This "disguise" element forces you to change how you look at the game world. You stop seeing a house and start seeing a series of interlocking mechanisms.
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The game originally launched in chapters. This is why the early sections feel a bit more contained than the later ones. By the time you get to Chapter 5, "The Final Blow," the scale has shifted significantly. You’re moving between multiple floors, an outdoor laboratory, and even a submarine bay. The complexity spikes, but it never feels unfair.
Observation Is Your Only Real Weapon
I’ve seen people complain that the game is too short.
Maybe. If you use a walkthrough, you can breeze through it in two hours. But why would you do that? The joy of Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is that "aha!" moment when your brain finally connects the dots. It’s about that sudden realization that the frequency on the radio matches the numbers on the napkin in the kitchen.
Yak & Co built this game with a very specific flow. They use visual cues to guide your eye without holding your hand. Notice how a certain light flickers? Or how a bird always lands on a specific branch? That’s not just flavor text. It’s the game whispering to you.
A Masterclass in Tactile Feedback
One thing that sets this apart from games like The Room—which is often its closest competitor—is the personality. The Room is dark, moody, and a bit creepy. Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is bright and full of snark. Ruby La Rouge leaves you little notes mocking your progress. Your character makes dry observations about the ridiculousness of a woman who has a shark tank in her living room.
The sound design deserves a shout-out too. The clink of a glass, the thud of a heavy stone door, and the whir of a hidden motor all provide necessary feedback. It tells you that you’ve done something right. In a genre where you often feel lost, these small auditory rewards keep you moving forward.
The Transition from Mobile to Console and PC
Originally a mobile hit, the game eventually moved to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. Usually, when a game makes this jump, the controls get messy. Mouse clicks are fine, but trying to navigate a "point and click" with a thumbstick can be a nightmare.
Surprisingly, the developers handled it well.
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The UI was overhauled to make sure it didn't feel like you were just dragging a virtual finger across the screen. On the Switch, you get the best of both worlds—touchscreen controls in handheld mode and traditional controls on the TV. It’s one of those rare games that feels "at home" regardless of where you play it.
Why You Might Get Stuck (And How to Fix It)
Listen, you're going to get stuck. It happens. Usually, it's because you've overlooked one tiny detail.
- Backtrack. If you find an item and have no idea where it goes, go back to the very first room. The game is non-linear in its layout, meaning a tool found in the final area might be needed for a puzzle you saw at the very beginning.
- Take Screenshots. Your phone (the real one in your hand) is your best friend here. When you see a weird pattern or a set of symbols on a wall, snap a photo. It saves you from having to run back and forth between rooms.
- Interact with everything twice. Sometimes an object has two states. You might open a drawer and find it empty, but did you check if there’s a false bottom?
Comparing Agent A to Modern Puzzle Giants
We are currently in a bit of a golden age for puzzle games. You have Baba Is You for the logic-obsessed and Viewfinder for the perspective-shifters. Where does Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise sit?
It’s the "comfort food" of the group.
It doesn't ask you to rewrite the laws of physics or learn a new programming language. It just asks you to be observant. It’s more of a classic "Escape the Room" experience polished to a mirror sheen. It’s less stressful than Myst but more engaging than a standard hidden object game.
The narrative, while light, provides just enough momentum to keep you going. You want to catch Ruby. You want to see what other ridiculous gadgets she’s hidden in her house. The stakes feel real enough to matter, but the tone stays light enough to be fun.
What the Critics Got Wrong
When it first launched, some reviewers dinged it for being "episodic." This was a valid complaint in 2015 when you had to wait months for the next chapter. However, if you're buying it today, you're getting the "Complete Edition." All five chapters are there. The pacing issues of the past are gone.
Now, the game feels like a cohesive, five-to-six-hour journey.
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Some also said it was "too easy." I’d argue it’s just "logical." There’s a big difference. An "easy" game is boring; a "logical" game makes you feel like a genius. Agent A chooses the latter. It respects your intelligence enough not to give you a "hint button" that glows every five seconds, but it also doesn't rely on moon-logic puzzles where you have to combine a banana with a telephone to make a screwdriver.
Real-World Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're about to dive in, keep these three things in mind to maximize the experience:
Play with the sound on. The music is a fantastic 60s spy pastiche, but the audio cues for puzzles are actually functional. You'll hear things clicking into place in other rooms.
Don't use a guide on your first run. You only get to solve these puzzles once. If you look up the answer to the laser grid or the pool pump puzzle, you're robbing yourself of the only reason the game exists. If you’re truly stuck, walk away for an hour. Your subconscious usually solves it while you're making a sandwich.
Check the edges of the screen. The game uses a lot of "parallax" depth. Sometimes an item is tucked just out of view behind a pillar or a piece of furniture. Tilting your view slightly can reveal things you missed.
Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise is a rare gem in a crowded market. It’s a testament to what a small team can do when they have a clear vision and a love for a specific era of design. It’s stylish, smart, and genuinely satisfying.
Go find Ruby. Just watch out for the cat.