Is This Seat Taken? review: Are you sitting comfortably?

I am locked in an eternal struggle when it comes to puzzle games. I absolutely love puzzlers with unique mechanics that force you to think in a brand-new way, but I do not have the attention span required to succeed at most of them. I think games like Baba Is You or Opus Magnum (or anything Zachtronics ever touched, for that matter) are pieces of genius puzzle design, but I’ve not finished either of them because I just don’t have the capacity for it.

In this way, Is This Seat Taken? finds a perfect balance. The concept is unique and forces me to think in a new way, but it isn’t so obtuse that my brain hurts if I stare at it for too long. It’s the exact kind of logic puzzle that my brain can wrap itself around in a way that is challenging and satisfying to solve.

You’re given a series of settings, like a bus, a cinema, or a football stadium, and you need to place all of the people in their seats according to their preferences. Some people might not be able to see from far away, or want to sit by a window, and you have to accommodate for that. On top of that, some people may be stinky or play loud music that disturbs people nearby, so you have to work around that, or people may come along in groups that don’t want to be separated. If you have a dysfunctional family and you’ve ever had to deal with seating arrangements at a wedding or wake, you know the deal. 

All of these simple rules interweave in a brilliant way to create each puzzle, as you have to seat loads of people at once. They’re not just isolated scenarios either, as each level has multiple stages, with each one influencing the next. If you’re on a bus or train, some people will get off at each station, but others will remain, and you then have to reorganize them to fit on the new people boarding; or if someone from the previous stage was eating snacks, their seat will now be dirty, further limiting where you can place people.

Every possible mechanic has been carefully refined to make each puzzle as interesting as possible, and over the game's roughly four-hour runtime, it does a good job of pacing unique mechanics and one-off puzzle scenarios. For example, the couple of Diner levels in the game force you to not only consider everyone’s seat preferences, but which of the limited meals they wish to eat. There’s also a level where you must pair everyone up on dates with people who match their preferences.

It’s the kind of logic puzzle I always liked to play in the Professor Layton games, but dramatically scaled up to be a full game, and it nails it. It feels almost like solving a Sudoku as I methodically work my way through the rules, eliminate possibilities, and find the perfect position to place each person.

If you’re someone who loves this kind of logic puzzle, then Is This Seat Taken? is a must-buy. It uses simple rules to create complex scenarios that feel great to solve as you untangle the web of conflicting desires. It only makes me wish I could do the same whenever I have to get on public transport.

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