The Room Two Review (Sethis)
I'm going to leave the same review for all 4 games, because if you're interested enough to click on one and read reviews to figure out if it's worth buying, then you're equally interested in all of them. Because fundamentally it's the same game, with 4 different chapters.
Do I recommend the series? I absolutely do. If you enjoy puzzle games generally, you're a sucker for Cthulhu-vibes, and you have fond memories of things like Myst or Monkey Island or other point-and-click riddle games, you should absolutely get this whole series and play it through.
If you don't know whether you like puzzle games or not, because you've never played them (especially on the PC, maybe you've just done some mobile gaming?) then this is an extremely solid, exceptionally affordable entry to the genre, especially when they're all on sale and you can pick up all four for around £6.
The games increase in length as they go on, with the first being the shortest, solvable in I'd say about 2-4 hours depending on how experienced/good you are at puzzlers. The third was the longest for me, at 5+ hours. So for the series in total you're looking at about 20 hours? It's all a bit down to the player.
The devices in the games are generally satisfying to move around, with nice audio feedback with solid clicks, thumps, whirring and so on. Some of the lens-based puzzles were a tiny bit less impressive on this front, because you're not operating 'reality' per se. But that's not a detraction from the game at all. Very few, if any, of the puzzles break immersion by violating the spatial capacity of the objects they're made from - each box, desk or prop feels as though it could fully contain the components you manipulate and reveal, and you find yourself almost marvelling at the engineering, forgetting it's an entirely virtual construct.
I think in each game I clicked the hint button once. Maybe twice in the longer ones. Generally not because I was stuck on a puzzle - they're all fairly self-contained and intuitive, which is great - but because I was moving between puzzles and there was no obvious link that connected one to the next. Sure, I could have blindly hunted around for ages fiddling with every thing on every screen, but really the only reason to not click the hint button if you're super stuck is your own ego. It's not like you get an achievement or a different ending based on how many times you clicked it.
The first game is definitely suitable for playing with children, the cosmic horror elements are negligible. The second through fourth games are a bit scarier, so you might want your kids to be a bit older before playing, and you might want to play through first to be sure you're happy with the cutscenes.
Overall, I really enjoyed the series, getting fantastic value for money when they're on sale, and enjoying almost every aspect of them.
If the Devs are to continue creating games like this, or might revisit the franchise in the future, I'd only offer two main bits of minor improvement:
- I was hoping for some easter eggs by using the lens in places not obviously designed to prompt you to put it on. For example when flicking through books, or moving between rooms, or behind/under objects. Maybe they exist and I just didn't find them? But a couple of hidden messages that aren't related to the puzzles, but simply add to the plot or feel of the game would be great!
- I think my biggest frustration was when presented with something with no indication that it was movable in a particular direction. Off the top of my head, I think in number 3, or end of number 2, there was a hollow metal rectangle that you could move around the rim of a circular table using a crank handle which you found and stuck onto it, but there was no hint whatsoever that you could also raise and lower the rectangle, as well as move it around the rim. Sure, you can make the player mindlessly drag every single puzzle element up, down, left, right, around, in, out and so on - but it'd be a lot easier on my mouse hand (and slightly less rage inducing...) if the metal shape had simply been a stylised vertical arrow or something that gave a hint, however subtle, that it could be raised.
That said, those are extremely minor gripes. These are excellent games, worth your time, stimulate your brain, and have excellent visual and sound design that are perfect for relaxing at the end of the day, playing before you go to bed, or completing with your (not super young) kids. Also, from an accessibility point of view, there are no timed challenges, and no way to 'fail' anything. Take your time, look around, and enjoy the escapism!