Enjaulados

Enjaulados is a 3D adventure game featuring teenage protagonist Sirius, who, bored by the monotony of screens and digital noise, dives into vibrant utopian worlds drawn from books to rescue fantastic creatures and escape her cage-like existence. Through platforming, puzzles, and exploration in these fantastical realms, she uncovers a greater danger threatening the real world outside.

Enjaulados: Review

Introduction

Imagine a world where the glow of smartphone screens morphs into the enchanting flicker of magical tomes, trapping a disillusioned teen in realms born from literary masterpieces—welcome to Enjaulados, a 2023 indie adventure that dares to bridge the digital void with the boundless imagination of books. Released on Steam on April 18, 2023, by the Spanish studio Feeel 3d, this 3D platformer-puzzler has carved a modest niche as a “literary odyssey,” drawing from classics like Michael Ende’s Momo, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Jorge Luis Borges’ Fictions, and Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Amid a sea of hyper-polished AAA titles, Enjaulados stands as a raw, passionate reminder of gaming’s indie roots, blending fantasy escapism with a poignant critique of modern screen addiction. My thesis: While hampered by technical roughness and brevity, Enjaulados shines as a heartfelt tribute to literature’s power, offering fleeting but memorable dives into utopian book worlds that resonate in an era of endless scrolling.

Development History & Context

Feeel 3d, an independent outfit hailing from Málaga, Spain, helmed primarily by Jose Alberto Simón Montesinos, birthed Enjaulados as a labor of love funded by the Ministry of Culture of Spain—a rare governmental nod to indie creativity in a landscape dominated by blockbuster budgets. Announced for a Q2 2023 Steam launch via press kits from Games Press and Superindie.games, the project leveraged Unity as its engine and FMOD for audio, tools emblematic of accessible indie development in the post-Among Us boom era. This was no accident; 2023’s indie scene was flooded with bite-sized adventures amid economic pressures from the pandemic, where solo devs like Montesinos could prototype fantastical worlds on modest hardware (minimum specs: Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM).

The vision crystallized around a meta-narrative of escaping “screen cages,” reflecting Spain’s vibrant literary heritage and a global fatigue with social media noise—El País and Hobby Consolas spotlighted it pre-launch for its cultural ties. Technological constraints were evident: built for 64-bit Windows with “any” graphics card, it prioritized artistic ambition over optimization, echoing early 2010s Unity experiments like Monument Valley. In the 2023 gaming landscape—post-Elden Ring triumph and amid Steam’s indie deluge (Dave the Diver, Dredge)—Enjaulados positioned itself as an “educational” outlier, blending platforming with literary nods in a market craving narrative depth. Yet, its solo-dev DNA meant compromises: no Mac/Linux ports initially, limited marketing, and a $9.99 price (often discounted to $0.99), underscoring the era’s challenges for non-viral indies.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot Synopsis and Character Arcs

At its core, Enjaulados (“Caged” in English) chronicles Sirius, a teenage protagonist named after the night sky’s brightest star—Alpha Canis Maioris—yet dimmed by existential ennui. Trapped in a monotonous digital existence of “platforms’ noise and constant consumption of empty entertainment,” Sirius’s life flips when screens transmute into “cages of magic books.” She dives into utopian literary realms to rescue fantastic beings, forging bonds with quirky allies, navigating labyrinths, and confronting the villainous Kovalev in a climactic showdown. The story hints at a larger planetary threat beyond the books, teasing eco-horror or anti-consumerist dread.

Sirius evolves from a jaded screen-zombie to a radiant hero, her arc mirroring the star etymology: igniting through imagination. Supporting cast draws from inspirations—guides akin to Momo‘s childlike wisdom, shifters echoing Gogol’s The Nose, prophetic figures from Fahrenheit 451‘s dystopia, Borges’ labyrinthine enigmas, and Adams’ absurd futurists—each “very special friend” propels her quest, humanizing abstract themes.

Dialogue, Themes, and Literary Integration

Dialogue, delivered in full Spanish audio with subtitles in Spanish, English, and Italian, is sparse but poetic, laced with literary Easter eggs. Phrases evoke No Word from Gurb‘s alien whimsy or Hitchhiker’s cosmic humor, fostering emotional intimacy in a “story-rich” linear tale. Thematically, Enjaulados masterfully contrasts digital numbness with literature’s vivacity: screens as prisons of “monotony,” books as portals to “fantasy and color.” Utopian architectures symbolize escapist ideals, critiquing consumerism (Fahrenheit 451‘s book-burning parallels screen overload) while nodding to Borges’ infinite fictions. Emotional layers—boredom to wonder, isolation to friendship—imbue a “funny,” “emotional” tone, positioning it as educational fiction: players “fly” through worlds that champion reading over doom-scrolling. Flaws emerge in pacing; the ~2-hour runtime rushes Kovalev’s menace, diluting tension, but the meta-twist (greater external danger) elevates it beyond kiddie platformer.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Enjaulados fuses 3D platforming, puzzles, and light adventure in a “direct control” third-person perspective, clocking ~2 hours of linear progression. Core loops revolve around exploration: traverse “labyrinths and platforms through fantastic worlds,” collect/save mystical creatures, and solve environmental puzzles—think time management challenges (tagged prominently) where timing jumps or activations unlocks paths, evoking Braid-lite mechanics on a Unity budget.

Combat, Progression, and UI

Combat is minimalistic: Sirius defeats Kovalev via puzzle-boss sequences rather than button-mashing, emphasizing wits over reflexes—befitting its “puzzle platformer” DNA. Progression ties to creature rescues, granting abilities (e.g., shifter transformations?) for new areas, with no deep RPG trees but satisfying “aha” unlocks. UI is straightforward—clean HUD for objectives/subtitles—but suffers jank: dated animations and imprecise controls frustrate jumps, per critic notes on “spielerischen Ecken und Kanten” (rough edges). Innovative systems shine in book transitions: seamless dives into themed levels foster wonder, though time management puzzles occasionally feel “unnötig frustrierender” (unnecessarily frustrating).

Flaws abound—technical hitches (clipping, unresponsive camera) betray indie constraints—but loops cohere for short bursts, blending Super Mario 64-style platforming with The Witness-esque puzzles. Controller support enhances fluidity, yet PC-only limits accessibility.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Setting and Atmosphere

“Enjaulados” crafts a kaleidoscope of utopian realms inspired by literary artworks and architectures—vibrant labyrinths pulsing with Fictions‘ infinity, Momo‘s timeless whimsy, and Hitchhiker’s sci-fi absurdity. Colorful, “trippy” environments (per Steam tags) evoke flying through dreams: floating platforms amid starry voids, book-page mazes alive with creatures. Atmosphere immerses via progression—from screen-gray drabness to explosive fantasy—hammering the cage-escape theme.

Visual Direction and Sound Design

Unity visuals prioritize stylization: bold hues, low-poly models with utopian flair (think Sant’Ellio’s floating cities meets Borges’ libraries). Not photorealistic—critics note it “cannot compete with modern games”—but charmingly handmade, enhancing intimacy. Sound design, via FMOD, features Spanish voicework evoking emotional depth, paired with whimsical scores blending orchestral swells and quirky effects. Subtle cues (creature chirps, page-turn whooshes) amplify immersion, though sparse VO limits replayability. Collectively, these forge a cozy, nostalgic aura: art/sound as narrative glue, making worlds feel “full of fantasy and color.”

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was tepid: MobyGames logs a 55% critic score (Gamer’s Palace: “fun despite edges… explore book worlds and save creatures”) and 2/5 player average (one rating). Steam shows 2-5 user reviews (mixed, needing more for scores), with tags like “Emotional” and “Education” hinting niche appeal. Metacritic lacks aggregates; Adventure Gamers praised its “unique gameplay blending literature,” but low visibility (peak 8 concurrent players) doomed commercial traction—$0.99 sales propped it.

Legacy evolves slowly: As a 2023 obscurity, it influences minimally, yet prefigures “literary indies” like American Arcadia. Funded by Spain’s Ministry, it spotlights cultural gaming; in history, it joins Unity’s pantheon of passionate shorts (Thomas Was Alone), deserving cult reappraisal for anti-screen advocacy amid 2020s digital burnout. No major impact, but preservation via MobyGames ensures its archival place.

Conclusion

Enjaulados is a flawed jewel: a 2-hour burst of literary magic marred by technical creaks, yet brimming with heart in Sirius’s quest from screen prisoner to book liberator. Feeel 3d’s indie alchemy—Unity worlds echoing Momo to Fahrenheit 451—delivers colorful platforming, clever puzzles, and thematic bite critiquing our caged lives. Poor reception stems from brevity and polish gaps, but its legacy as Spain’s funded fantasy ode endures. Verdict: Recommended for literature lovers and indie completists—a 7/10 niche classic in video game history’s vast library, proving small cages hold big stars. Grab it on sale; let books set you free.