Hey, you’re trapped in a room! Where’s that Nelson guy to laugh at you when you need him? You’re not going to sit around and get mocked, though. You’re clever, you’re resourceful, and even though every time you leave the room you end up in an almost identical location, you’re determined to get out. Doors&Rooms is a single-room point and click escape game by Gameday, creator of Escape the Room: Limited Time, that plays like a graphically-improved version of 100 Floors or DOOORS. Ready to get the heck outta here?!
Doors&Rooms doesn’t go the route of getting you to shake your mobile device all over the place. Instead, its puzzles are more traditional in style, requiring old fashioned deduction, logic, memory, and in some cases, quick thinking. The more details you pay attention to the better, keep that in mind while working through the few dozen levels currently available to play. In a fun twist, you can actually die in this game, so don’t dawdle if you hear a suspiciously bomb-like ticking in the background!
The interface is entirely touch-driven and works just like you would expect. Tap an item to pick it up, then open your inventory to see what you’ve got. From here you can often examine, dismantle, combine or simply use items by tapping on the icons at the bottom of the screen. It’s a bit of a hassle to go through several tap motions in order to use a key on a door, but when you have this much detail in the handling of inventory stock, it’s worth a bit of awkwardness from time to time.
Analysis: Doors&Rooms sets itself up in a long line of puzzle games that have been recently populating the iOS and Android marketplaces. The difference, though, is that there are no weird gimmicks or awkward ideas thrown in to make Doors&Rooms “stand out”. Instead, it’s just a good game with good puzzles that looks fantastic. It’s nice to have a one-room escape game look great for a change, and Doors&Rooms does not disappoint. Most of the visuals look like they were ripped from a graphic novel, right down to the textures and shading.
An in-game hint system gives you three levels of purchasable tips each time you get stuck. Depending on how many coins you spend, the hints themselves are often like riddles, not necessarily giving you the answer outright but teasing you with new information that may or may not be inspirational. You start with a handful of coins and can earn more over time, but if you happen to run out, an in-app purchasing system can give you a quick refill.
High production values and smart puzzles that force you to think, not just parrot back information or go into a point and click-induced trance from all your years of playing these sorts of games. Multiple locations to play through, each with several chapters to complete, and more content in the pipeline. Doors&Rooms is a great mobile escape game you would do well to snatch up right away!
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on an iPad. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.