For the most part this system works well, and it feels really satisfying when you find a secret or solve a puzzle on your own. The game also doesn't hold your hand - aside from highlighting the interactive elements, the game provides no hints at all. "We felt that the idea of a pop-up book game would especially suit a touch device," explains Schneidereit, "as it would allow the digital pop-ups to be similarly tactile as a their physical counterparts."
The team even claims that all of the pop-ups in the game can be recreated in real life - they went so far as to hire an artist to physically recreate certain scenes from the game. "Instead of different Lego stones, you have different fold types." The game engine is able to figure out how these folds connect to each other, and then come up with the appropriate animation. "The way that it works is similar to a Lego kit," says Schneidereit.
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Of the three years that the game has been in development, the first was spent simply figuring out how to make virtual paper fold in a way that's authentic. And that's because all of the effort that went into the underlying technology. Coupled with the wonderful art style, it really looks like an actual book. The way these pop-ups feel is the highlight of Tengami - I found myself moving my fingers back and forth across the screen just to watch how the paper would unfold. "The way that it works is similar to a Lego kit."