Published by hozdesign. I played this on android.
The Short: More RED flags, courtesy of hozdesign
Recommended if you like dark alleyways, tomatoes
Description: Let’s begin with what is good about this game. Aesthetically, RED is cool. A nighttime puzzle complete with eerie lighting and harmonious cricket noises. RED follows a typical escape game trope of presenting a weird and spooky vibe while never actually delivering any horror elements. It’s like a zen garden of creepy, after-dark hangouts. I like it.
What I didn’t like about RED is the extreme difficulty. I was very suspicious of this game because I had a really terrible experience playing ESC which is another game by hozdesign. RED turned out to be eminently more solvable but still, the finale puzzle of this game was beyond hard. It was actually just straight up sadistic. Even after a concerted effort to solve it (and I really thought I was on the right track), I finally succumbed to watching a walk through. I had to read and re-read this solution three times to make sure I grasped what it was telling me. Hozdesign really fails at creating puzzles that have one, understandable solution that truly contains a “eureka” moment regardless if you solve it or have it shown to you. Instead, they tend to offer up puzzles so complex and multi-faceted that it’s fairly impossible to know you’re on the right track even when you’re halfway through.
Games are no fun when the creators don’t play fair. Sorry, RED but I’m just not a fan.
Difficulty Level: Beyond Hard
Difficulty Elements: good cascade | both readily apparent & invisible puzzle arrays | esoteric puzzle interfaces| no Absurdity | unique solves
Good Escape 