Instants Crafts a Casual Puzzler Using a Family Photo Album

Instants presents a short narrative puzzler where you construct the story using a photo album, and it's out soon on PC and Switch.

Marking a major tonal shift following 2022's Ikai, a first-person psychological horror game based on Japanese folklore, Instants is the latest title from indie studio Endflame. This involves figuring out a family's story across a photo album where each photo acts as a timeline clue, all while being assisted by your fluffy companion. You can customize the album too with different backgrounds, stickers, and more.

I briefly went hands-on with the Steam demo and came away feeling broadly positive, leaving me curious about this family's story. The actual puzzle solving isn't particularly challenging, and most of what you're doing is moving photos into a set order. Some more advanced mechanics do appear later, like selecting multiple pictures at once or colouring them differently, but this isn't too much of a game-changer.

I'm more taken with the colourfully relaxing hand-drawn aesthetic. Endflame has brought a limited slice of this world to life with a frankly gorgeous presentation, one that's both calming while also blending into the user interface well. Being able to change music tracks with an easy click and some digital biscuits? All I need now is a good cup of tea.

Still, I'm not sure Instants is a journey I'd see to its conclusion, as it's not completely clicking with me yet. The 3-hour runtime means this could be a good palate cleanser from my normal run of RPGs, and what I've seen so far leaves me feeling strangely nostalgic. Combined with the appealing visuals and personal curiosity about this family's story, that might be enough for me to jump in again.

Instants arrives on June 7 on Steam, Switch and the Epic Games Store, launching during Wholesome Direct 2025.