Unlock the Three

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38888018-United-Critics/] Please follow [b]United Critics[/b] for quality reviews[/url] [h2]Unlock the Three Review[/h2] [table] [th][h2]Factors[/h2][/th] [th][h2]Rating[/h2][/th] [th][h2]Description[/h2][/th] [tr] [td]🎮Gameplay[/td] [td]5.5[/td] [td]Potential is there, but it's marred by bugs and inconsistencies. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]📷Graphics[/td] [td]6.5[/td] [td]Decent atmosphere, but overdone effects can detract from immersion. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]🎧Narration/Audio[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]Inconsistent audio settings and lacklustre sound design. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]😮Variety[/td] [td]5[/td] [td]Character diversity is promising but currently underutilised. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]🎰Re-playability[/td] [td]5.5[/td] [td]Fun in short bursts with friends, but limited by repetitive gameplay. [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]💲Price[/td] [td]8[/td] [td]Affordable, but not worth it in its current state [/td] [/tr] [/table] [i]Played with my boyfriend as I am not good with horror games, and while there were some tense moments, the frequent bugs and issues broke the immersion. [/i] [h1][b]📝Story/Plot without spoilers:[/b][/h1] [table][tr][td] 🔸 Unlock the Three throws you into a desolate hospital where you, along with a team, must survive against a mysterious monster lurking in the shadows. The story follows four main characters, each with unique skills contributing to the group's survival. You’ll navigate through the hospital’s eerie halls, constantly haunted by the unknown. Every character has a backstory that enhances their role – from the brave Police Officer to the devout Father, each brings something vital to the table. The real question is, will you and your team be able to outsmart the monster and escape the hospital alive? [/td][/tr][/table] [h1][b]🎮Gameplay:[/b][/h1] [table][tr][td] 🔸 Unlock the Three aims to deliver a tense cooperative horror experience, but it's clear the game is still in its early stages. The initial setup and character selection hint at a rich, strategic experience, each player contributing unique skills. The objective is clear: you need to collect three hidden keys spread across the hospital on each floor. Once you collect the keys, you must escape through the single door at the end of the morgue corridor. But beware, as a bloodthirsty monster is running loose, and some zombie-like monsters are hiding in rooms. You can play as different characters with different perks, like a police officer with a gun and flashlight, a medic with the ability to heal or revive people, a father who can calm the teammates and an ITguy who can look over the cameras to help navigate and lock the doors. ------🔹 Hosting and joining games is thankfully straightforward, and it was relatively easy to get the game started. However, technical limitations quickly become apparent. Key bindings and audio settings don't save between sessions, which is frustrating and pulls players out of the experience. The “Options” menu doesn’t open in the lobby. Furthermore, we found ourselves stuck with the Medic and Police characters because we couldn’t select others. It was unclear whether this was due to the game not allowing it or if there were some hidden conditions we hadn’t met. The characters seem to depend on the number of players in the lobby. You can only become a monster if your lobby has five players. ------🔹 The gameplay itself is a mix of survival horror and cooperative puzzles. The post-processing effect that aims to enhance the horror atmosphere ends up being overly aggressive, causing visual discomfort during extended play. Furthermore, the game’s mechanics lack polish – doors that should open are often glitchy, and interactions feel inconsistent. Despite these issues, there are moments where the game achieves its goal of creating a tense, cooperative horror experience, but these are too few and far between. The game needs more interactive elements. I liked that you can play solo or as a monster, but the core gameplay needs serious iteration to sustain it as a good game. [/td][/tr][/table] [h1][b]📷Graphics:[/b][/h1] [table][tr][td] 🔸 Visually, the game does a commendable job of crafting a spooky, atmospheric hospital setting. The lighting and shadow effects help build tension, particularly when navigating narrow corridors or searching dimly lit rooms. However, the game leans too heavily on certain visual effects – like intense motion blur, whisperings and heavy film grain – which, while initially effective, quickly become overbearing. It's very hard to distinguish the key from the atmosphere, plus the areas just feel like immovable objects due to lack of interaction. [/td][/tr][/table] [h1][b]📝Main Pros and Cons:[/b][/h1] [b]🟩Pros-[/b] +Interesting character-based gameplay. +Effective use of lighting and shadows to build tension. +Easy to set up multiplayer sessions. [b]🟥Cons-[/b] -Persistent technical issues disrupt gameplay. -Limited character accessibility and unclear mechanics. -Need more interactions with the map -Single small map to explore [h1][b]🏷️Tips for beginners:[/b][/h1] [table][tr][td] 🔸 Before jumping into a multiplayer game, ensure your key bindings and audio settings are correctly configured each time you play. If you are playing with fewer than 4 players, an indicator will appear on your screen when you are near keys. Once you get all the keys, make sure you get your ITGuy with you too. Maintain your stamina at all times! [/td][/tr][/table] [h1][b]✉️Miscellaneous Information:[/b][/h1] [b]Game Balance-[/b] The balance between the monster and the survivors feels uneven at times. The monster can feel overpowering if the survivors are not well-coordinated, which can make the experience more frustrating than fun. Some tweaks are necessary to ensure both sides have a fair chance. [h1][b]😇Verdict:[/b][/h1] [table][tr][td] 🔸 Unlock the Three is a mixed bag. It offers a unique take on the cooperative horror genre, but significant technical and design issues prevent it from reaching its full potential. There’s enjoyment to be had, especially with a good group of friends, but the game currently feels more like a prototype than a finished product. I’m hopeful that with future updates, "Unlock the Three" can live up to its intriguing concept [/td][/tr][/table] Rating: 5/10 Not a fan of glitches, but I love a good scare.