Spotlight Room Escape

Published by Javelin Mobile. Played on android. 

The Short: Harder than the average escape game and, therefore, more rewarding. Also, clever use of a timer as a spook/narrative element.

Recommended if you like atmospheric creeps, being timed, Franz Kafka.

Description: 

Creep-realism with great music. I particularly like the puzzles in this series. This game has good cascade which puts it several cuts above your average escape game. There seems to be a small hint of mythology but mostly this is just clear cut puzzle solving in rooms that look like they belong in the movie Se7en. A beginner could hold their own in this series because the puzzles start out very straightforward.  A seasoned player will quickly advance to the more challenging levels.

Something unusual about this game is that you are timed. In the very first puzzle, this adds a very strong element of suspense. As you continue through, your finishing time on each level is recorded and measured against other players’. Kind of fun knowing what percentile you’re in.

Difficulty:  Medium
Difficulty Elements: great cascade | no Absurdity | invisible puzzle arrays | readily-apparent puzzle arrays | straightforward puzzles | typical solves | some unique solves

Publisher: Neat Escape

This is a review for a publisher that makes dozens, if not hundreds of escape games. I played them on android.

The Short: Whereas Can You Escape? is the gold standard of escape games in terms of quality game play, Neat Escape manages to be the most quintessential. Like the Family Feud to Can You Escape?’s Jeopardy.

Recommended if you like escape games. Lots and lots of escape games.

Description:  With its efficiently acceptable Japanese graphics and standard puzzle structures which endlessly recombine, Neat Escape delivers a relatively fresh experience each time. And yet, there is something very unhinged about Neat Escape. Is it the aggressively mundane locations that you are forced to escape from? Including but definitely not limited to Bathroom, Park, Budget Hotel, and Cage. Or perhaps it is the twee elevator tunes pretending to be lounge music?  And what’s with all the cheerful sunshine streaming in from every window regardless of directional exposure? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s the simple fact that sometimes Neat Escape‘s animations completely violate the laws of physics.

Hundreds of escapes, hours of enjoyable play await you with your lovable friend Neat Escape. Just be sure to create your own suspension of disbelief.

Difficulty: Easy
Difficulty Elements: readily apparent puzzle arrays | no Absurdity | okay cascade | typical solves

Samorost 3 ($)

Published by Amanita Design. Played on android. 

The Short: Gorgeous graphics, pretty music, intriguing mythology. This game actually made me have real feelings. It costs $5.00.

Recommended if you like fairy tales, dreaming, Tim Burton’s early stuff.

Description: So technically speaking this isn’t an escape game. It’s a point-and-click action adventure game. But trust me on this. Samorost is the chillest adventure I’ve ever been on. Explore planets, encounter bizarre critters, solve good puzzles. Samorost is a kindred spirit of the Myst franchise, especially in the sense that there is zero exposition or instruction. Hint: Open that red book in your inventory (the one with the eyes) sooner rather than later. It’s a game changer.

Note: I did not play Samorost 1 or 2 because they are not available on android. If there were available, I would buy them.

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Difficulty: Hard
Difficulty Elements: esoteric puzzle arrays | Absurdity | low cascade | unique solves

Cube Escape (Multiple Iterations)

Published by Rusty Lake. I played this on Android. 

Free Iterations: The Mill, Harvey’s Box, Seasons, Arles, Case 23, Theater, Birthday, The Lake,  Roots, The Cave
$ Iteration: Hotel

The Short: A favorite of mine. Twisted humor, beautiful and unique artwork, worthy mythology. One of the greatest? Or the greatest? I’ll leave that to you.

Recommended if you like Twin Peaks,  old postcards, black forest cake

Description: Horror elements and comedic gore. The mythology is interesting and spans all the iterations without being intrusive. Great puzzles with exquisite cascade. The puzzles tend to be quite difficult and also a bit on the absurdist side so I highly recommend starting with some easier escape games before diving into this series. Cube Escape assumes you already have some familiarity with the format of an escape game. As a result, some of these iterations get incredibly sophisticated. In Birthday, for instance, you actually time travel. It’s a brilliant addition onto the regular escape game format.

 Extras: The picture below demonstrates the interlocking aspects of the Cube Escape mythology across the different iterations. If you have never played, skip this. It will not help you during a game. It’s just nerd fun. The other pictures are screenshots to show off the artwork.

Source is Cube Escape Wikia: 

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Difficulty:  Hard
Difficulty Elements: esoteric puzzle arrays | readily apparent puzzle arrays | Absurdity | lots of cascade | unique solves