[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote]
[i]Doors & Rooms[/i] is an Escape Room game that is still in Early Access and not all of the chapters are avaialble. The game is a port from tablets, and is free on that platform, so definitely keep this in mind if you plan to play the game.
The game starts out very easy, but becomes gradually more difficult as you progress through the puzzles. You will need to apply logical thinking to escape from all of the rooms.
Currently, there are 4 chapters, each with a number of rooms. There are timed sections that reward you for fast timing and accuracy. The rewards are in the form of keys, and a number of them each time. Some doors you can open with silver keys, while others you will need gold keys. You can always go back to a room and replay to try to get more keys.
There is an inventory where you can perform a number of actions:
1. Use the items to interact with an on-screen object/environment
2. Dismantle items to get new ones
3. Combine multiple items within to get a new one
4. Observe an item to see what it is and what you can do with it.
[h1]Bugs and Improvements[/h1]
-Currently, the achievements unlock before you even play anything.
-You cannot exit the game when you are in a room. You either have to solve a room first, or force quit the program.
-There is no option to pause the game, this could be a good addition.
-You can easily get a game over screen, I think puzzle games really shouldn't do this.
-Puzzle games should allow time for thought and be more relaxing and casual. If this can be changed or different playing style options added, that would be helpful.
-V-sync option should be added, the computer is calculating the FPS to go up to 1700.
[h1]Verdict[/h1]
I really enjoy these kind of games and I look forward for new chapters to be added in the future. The price is a bit steep as compared to the free tablet versions that have in-app purchasing options for hints. No in-app purchases for the Steam version. While for most puzzles you have enough time, for others I feel like I needed more. The fact that you can easily get a game over screen in a puzzle game with the timed elements makes the game less relaxing and fun. While the keys are additional rewards, they should not be essential to moving through a puzzle game. I hope the developers take this into consideration.
In regards to the puzzles themselves, they are rather fun. Some are easy, while others need a lot of thinking. Some puzzles seem logical though there are some that didn't make sense at all, and I needed a guide for. The no-pause option and the stress over the thought of getting a "game over" screen made the game frustrating at times.
This is more of a neutral review, as I am sitting quite half way. I have no such option so I will recommend it for while it is on sale, especially because the game is free on other platforms. In addition, please keep in mind the forced playing style with the timed puzzles before you decide to jump in this one.
[quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]
