Carto is adorable. A sympathetic story filled with an infectious enthusiasm for adventure. While it falls very short in several sections, any game that leaves us wanting more is always a good game, after all.

Carto is a strong contender for the title of 2020's best adventure. Involved, intimate gameplay and incredible attention to detail make even the smallest islands feel remarkably rich and expansive.

In its modest, unassuming way, it's gently profound, too. [Issue#352, p.116]

It’s a bit too relaxed at times, but Carto is full of heart and almost impossibly cute, sending players on a warm, fuzzy journey into the not-so-wild blue yonder to discover what it means to be far from home.

The short nature of this title may actually be its best aspect. It’s the perfect length for this type of comforting game – best played in a single sitting, with a quick break to grab a soothing hot drink and perhaps wrapped in a blanket. Carto exudes this nice, warm feeling through its simple, enjoyable nature and dainty design. It’s certainly not for everyone and the gameplay isn’t considerably fantastic in a vacuum but it’s something a little different and I’m happy I got to experience it.

Carto is a very relaxed game with little challenges that allows its players to explore at their own pace. While the experience is peaceful, the lack of challenge and variety in its puzzles leaves Carto feeling like its missing something from the experience. The characters are fun to converse with and do add a bit more charm, but most of the time they don't add anything actually impactful as a consequence, leading to an airy feel to a game that could have had more weight to it. Despite such a unique world-shifting mechanic, Carto doesn't bring much else to the table, which makes it a solid addition for fans expressly interested in puzzle-solving or relaxation but a game that otherwise won't find much purchase with other types of players.

Carto is cute but shallow. Repetitiveness of its main gameplay mechanic combined with unsatisfying, tedious puzzles made me welcome the end credits with a sigh of relief. [01/2021, p.55]