A Short Tale in IOS

Miniature Puzzle Adventure

Walkthrough, Guilds, Tips on this special game

Our Site Score

88/100

A Short Tale is a charming and surprisingly emotional point-and-click adventure. You play as Alex, who has shrunk down to the size of a toy in his brother's bedroom to find him. This perspective shift turns an ordinary room into a massive, wondrous world where a bookshelf is a mountain and a toy box is a labyrinth.

The puzzles are clever and well-integrated into the environment. Glitch Games has a knack for making challenging puzzles that don't feel unfair. The game strikes a perfect balance between nostalgia and mystery, with a melancholy undertone that makes the story feel much more significant than your average mobile puzzle game. It’s a short experience, as the name suggests, but every minute is memorable.

Reviewed on: Wed Sep 04 2024
Dinsun Avatar

Dinsun Review

Dinsun here. Glitch Games has a specific style—clever puzzles, a bit of dry humor, and a slightly eerie vibe. A Short Tale hits all those notes. The 'shrunken' perspective is a classic trope, but it works well here, turning a simple bedroom into a massive dungeon. The Glitch Camera is a brilliant quality-of-life feature that every adventure game should have; being able to snap a photo of a code on the wall and look at it while you're at the keypad is just common sense.

That said, it didn't grab me emotionally as much as I think it wanted to. The story about the missing brother feels a bit like an afterthought to the puzzles. And some of those puzzles... well, they can be a bit 'out there' logically. If you're a fan of the genre, it's a solid afternoon's work, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of the classics.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

  • Excellent Camera mechanic
  • Clever puzzles
  • Nostalgic vibe
  • Short playtime
  • Weak narrative payoff
  • Some logic leaps

Technical Report

Performance: Flawless performance on mobile; auto-save is reliable.

Accessibility:
  • Hint System
  • Visual Clue Log

Audience Fit

Buy if: You enjoy point-and-click adventures with logical (mostly) puzzles.

Skip if: You want a deep, moving narrative or long experience.

Similar Games:
  • Forever Lost
  • The Inner World

Reviewer Context

  • Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative gamer
  • Hardware: iPhone 12
  • Playtime: 3 hours
  • Status: Finished Story

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

Version 1.1.9Wed Aug 19 2026

Small fixes and improvements.


"For anyone who just wants to play a game chock-full of fun and unusual puzzles while exploring a charming and nostalgia-inducing environment, A Short Tale provides plenty of entertainment for a few hours" -AdventureGamers

It’s been years since I lost Ben, so long yet it doesn’t seem long enough. I never thought I’d return here, to where everything started. Where everything ended.

Something’s calling me back to his room though; a presence I have not felt since…

--

Play as Jason as he explores his brother’s room from a new perspective. After wishing to be small again, to feel closer to his younger brother, Jason finds himself in a strange new world filled with larger than life furniture, troublesome obstacles, and less-than-helpful occupants.

Features:

* A first person point and click adventure game.

• Surprisingly large* world to explore, filled with puzzles to solve.

* Trademark Glitch humour and puzzles that will leave you screaming at us.

• Beautiful soundtrack perfectly suited to this bizarre world.

* The Glitch Camera to help you solve puzzles and keep track of clues.

* Lots of clues to find and puzzles to solve.

* Plenty of items to collect and fiendishly clever puzzles to solve!

* Loads of items to find and use!

* Clues to find and puzzles to solve!

* Auto-save feature, never lose your progress again!

*pun fully intended, naturally.

–

Glitch Games is a tiny independent ‘studio’ from the UK.

Find out more at glitch.games

Chat with us on Discord - discord.gg/glitchgames

Follow us @GlitchGames

Find us on Facebook


Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

"For anyone who just wants to play a game chock-full of fun and unusual puzzles while exploring a charming and nostalgia-inducing environment, A Short Tale provides plenty of entertainment for a few hours." – AdventureGamers

Shrink down and experience a childhood bedroom like never before in this heartwarming first-person point-and-click puzzle adventure.

Years after losing his younger brother Ben, Jason returns to the place where everything changed forever. Drawn back by a mysterious presence, he makes one impossible wish—to be small again. Suddenly, an ordinary bedroom becomes a vast world filled with towering furniture, hidden secrets, clever puzzles, and unforgettable memories.

Explore every corner, collect useful items, uncover hidden clues, and solve challenging escape room-style puzzles as you unravel an emotional story about family, loss, and growing up.

If you enjoy point-and-click adventures, escape room games, hidden object puzzles, and story-rich mystery games, A Short Tale is for you.

Features

• Immersive first-person point-and-click adventure.

• Explore a giant bedroom from a tiny perspective.

• Solve clever puzzles and escape room-inspired challenges.

• Collect items, discover hidden clues, and unlock new areas.

• Use the unique Glitch Camera to reveal secrets and keep track of clues.

• Emotional story filled with nostalgia, mystery, and discovery.

• Beautiful atmospheric soundtrack.

• Signature Glitch Games humour.

• Auto-save ensures you never lose your progress.

• No ads or in-app purchases.

Can you uncover the memories hidden within a room that once felt like home?

–

Glitch Games is a small independent game studio from the UK, creating premium mystery, escape room, and puzzle adventure games that players around the world love.

Follow us for updates, news, and behind-the-scenes content:

Discord: discord.gg/glitchgames

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlitchGames/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glitch.games

Newsletter: https://glitch.games/newsletter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglitchgames/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GlitchGames


Ratings & Reviews

4.6 out of 5 with 245 Counts
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
Age Rating 4+

Screenshots

A Short Tale screenshot 1A Short Tale screenshot 2A Short Tale screenshot 3A Short Tale screenshot 4A Short Tale screenshot 5A Short Tale screenshot 6A Short Tale screenshot 7A Short Tale screenshot 8A Short Tale screenshot 9A Short Tale screenshot 10A Short Tale screenshot 11A Short Tale screenshot 12A Short Tale screenshot 13A Short Tale screenshot 14A Short Tale screenshot 15A Short Tale screenshot 16A Short Tale screenshot 17A Short Tale screenshot 18A Short Tale screenshot 19A Short Tale screenshot 20

It’s been years since I lost Ben, so long it seems like it was just yesterday. I never thought I’d come back here, to where it all started. To his room. In A Short Tale, you play as Alex as he returns to his brother's bedroom to find closure. However, things take a strange turn as he shrinks down to the size of a toy. Now, you must explore a world of giant toys and household objects, solving puzzles and taking photos of clues to uncover the mystery of Ben's disappearance. It's a classic first-person adventure filled with character and heart.

Features

1

Beautifully rendered first-person environment

2

The trademark Glitch Camera for tracking clues

3

Heartfelt and mysterious narrative

4

Challenging but logical puzzles

5

Atmospheric soundtrack and sound design

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Gameplays

Q&A

While it's a standalone story, it shares the same gameplay mechanics and quality found in other Glitch Games adventures.

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