[h1]Introduction[/h1]
The more you see, the less you understand. And that was intentional with Freezeframe (spelled in Caps for some reason). It’s brief and confusing, but perhaps that’s exactly what you need as a break from RPG grinding or some seemingly endless shooting gallery. As the fifth Steam project from self-publishing developer RoomsForRockets, their entire catalogue can be summarized as derivative content bordering abstract concepts without going all the way in. And they’re affordable at the very least, you get your money’s worth no matter how much you’ll try to figure out what exactly occurred on your screen.
[h1]Story [/h1]
A static message serves as introduction while explaining that you’ve become trapped in a museum after its closing hours. Whether you’re an amateur burglar, museum employee or hapless tourist, you’re free to speculate. The objective is clear: you need to escape. The main lobby greets you with a prehistoric exhibit featuring a velociraptor with glowing eyes. Not sure if that’s the exact dinosaur, because it’s only labeled with the warning that you musn’t touch it. Not that you could anyway. There’s not much narrative here for us to chew upon, yet I at least discovered that it’s a museum based somewhere in the United Kingdom (or the British Overseas Territories, if you’re feeling fancy) judging by the gift shop prices in pounds sterling.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2722089632
The nameless, faceless protagonist has a peculiar camera which creates the titular frames acting as portals over short distances. Not a bad idea if it would have been explained at all. You’re just cut loose in that lobby and tasked to figure it out by yourself. The escape route is under heavy lock quite literally, as it requires four distinct keys which are scattered across just as many challenging rooms. As you can imagine, part of that challenge stems from trying to piece together the “why and how” of those puzzle sections that aren’t very hard to crack once you get the hang of the frame portals. There are no time constraints, jump scares or dangers which might hinder swift progress. Even without a proverbial cage, you can still trust Peter Gabriel’s lyrics: “my mind holds the key”.
[h1]Graphics[/h1]
It has to be the Unity Engine hard at work here, right? Of course it is, along with all the Creative Commons licensing links you can think of once the credits start rolling. The visuals aren’t going to blow anyone’s mind, yet they are fully serviceable for all intents and purposes. A stable experience is what I was expecting and I wasn’t disappointed.
[h1]Audio[/h1]
Obviously no voice acting in Freezeframe and while the expectations were set very low to begin with in the soundtrack department, picture me surprised upon hearing one of my favorite pieces of classical music in this little puzzle game. None other than Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, "In the Hall of the Mountain King"! A mouthful to be certain, yet one you might also be familiar with if you grew up “long ago” when Saturday-morning cartoons still featured timeless songs. I’ll link a nice animation below for safe measure, hope you’ll enjoy hearing it as much as I did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIz3klPET3o
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
If the soundtrack is almost Freezeframe’s saving grace, you’ll be glad to find out that the gameplay is also more than adequate when compared to what it advertises on its Store page. And the pseudo-portal gameplay mechanics could accommodate plenty of creativity, if not for the somewhat restricting level design. It’s a linear structure, of course. You cannot tackle these challenge rooms in a random manner, sadly. I think that would have been a fine choice to leave players which are already wandering around that museum quite aimlessly, some degree of freedom at the very least.
As already mentioned, the challenges contained between the distinct rooms revolve around reaching places that are initially out of reach. You may consider them semi-jumping platforms as they involve some dexterity in combination to opening those interactive frames at precise locations for you to advance and find the hidden keys. It will come naturally, as you play and figure out the core gameplay even without proper in-game explanation.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2722089685
[h1]Verdict[/h1]
It may look like it was put together by a student as part of a college curriculum and it may even be that case, yet Freezeframe has some merits which might warrant a playthrough apart from its already low price point. It is relaxing without holding your hand at all. The soundtrack is as out of place as those challenges. It bares no explanation and perhaps it doesn’t truly need one. We must all find outselves at a point in our lives in which we have to just stand up and finally face the music. Embrace that hard earned escape!
[h1]Strong Points[/h1]
+ Affordable.
+ Abstract adventure.
[h1]Weak Points[/h1]
- No Steam Trading Cards, nor Achievements.
- Short and with no replay value.
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