Escape: The Research Center

I don't play many escape games so I'm probably a little naive when it comes to the logic of some of the puzzles but it's always helpful to get a novice's take on these kinds of games in case you are in the same boat and are thinking of diving in. I was initially attracted to the game because it had an intriguing story feeding through the puzzles where your colleague Victor has deliberately exposed you to an unknown toxin and trusts in your ability to solve the puzzles to find the antidote I suppose. There are notes left around the rooms with more information to flesh out the story and also the information supplied on the walls also hints at the story and what Victor was experimenting on. Of course, the story will only be revealed fully if you complete the game and that relies on solving the puzzles. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3577945450 The puzzles are quite difficult and range from more traditional puzzles like moving objects around into a certain order, like the train puzzle in the preview video, and fitting different shapes into a grid, or using environmental clues to find the right tunes on a Xylophone, or reading a story in a book to decipher the code to unlock a chest. I didn't do too badly with these and I did manage to escape that room and enter the science lab where the puzzles changed into a more logic based science themed challenge. This is where I struggled. Almost all the puzzles had missing pieces so couldn't be started until that piece was found and there is no way to open drawers or cabinets so I deduced that puzzles must be completed in a certain order to win one of those missing pieces. There are instructions lying near each puzzle which give you rules you need to follow but they didn't necessarily tell you what the end goal was meant to be, so I guess that is part of the puzzle too, and certain puzzles appeared to be linked in some way. It made it more difficult to solve the puzzle though because I just didn't know what I was meant to be doing. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3578391220 There are no hints in the game so once you get stuck then that's the end of the game unless you consult a guide or a YT video, none of which are available at the moment. There's no Discord channel either but there is a discussion board on Steam where you could ask for help and guidance. I'll drop a couple of screen shots here which give you an idea of some of the information on offer to solve the puzzles and that should give you an idea of whether you think it is your cup of tea, but personally it was too difficult for me. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3578391071 [h1]🍳Conclusion🍳[/h1] [quote][h2][b] Escape: The Research Center [/b] is well designed and thought through and I particularly liked the story running through it. I appreciated the original and interesting puzzles but it was slightly too difficult for me personally. It would appeal to seasoned escape room enthusiasts who like a challenge and appreciate more logic based puzzles rather than traditional ones. [/b][/h2][/quote] [quote]Thank you for reading my review. If you enjoyed it, please leave a like and follow[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews like this one. We also have a [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2][b]YouTube channel[/b][/url] if you would rather see game play footage with reviews. [/quote]

Quite nice puzzles that are actually intuitive once you spend a minute or so thinking about what the clues on the walls or the tables are telling you. I'm currently at room number 3 and enjoying the game a lot. EDIT: After finishing the game, I just want to confirm my positive impressions from it. All of the puzzles are very well-thought and all of the hints are meaningful, not just something abstract in the developers' minds. The game is hard overall and requires attention to detail. Every single detail inside each room is a potential clue to solving a puzzle either in that room, or in the main one. I just have one single remark regarding the most final puzzle: [spoiler]The orientation of the telescope outline is a bit confusing and in my opinion it should be flipped horizontally.[/spoiler]

Not the first time I've played a game from this developer. Overall the puzzles are fairly challenging...some are definitely easier/more straightforward than others. A few have issues for various reasons...unclear verbiage used in a clue, or zero clues as to what to do, or a science-related solution that doesn't seem right. So, a little room for improvement here and there. The only other problem I have with this game is the inability to remap the movement controls...having to use W-A-S-F as a left-handed gamer is less than enjoyable.

The puzzles are challenging but innovative. Logic and persistence are required which makes for rewarding game play. Graphics are detailed but not distracting. No pixel hunting. I want more games like this!

Great puzzle game. This is not the first one from these developers!

A lot of great puzzles, a few brute force ones we're not as enjoyable, but overall a very worthy successor to the series!

The game delivered a better experience than a normal escape room. Giving 6 areas to solve and more puzzle in every single part in order to unlock the true ending similarly to hte previous game. Some puzzle may be traditional ,but oh god it frustrated me at certain points cause they were so niche mechanics. Amazing work cant wait for their next work