It's been a long while since I've played something casually. Most often, I go into gaming with a very serious mindset, setting aside dedicated time to focus on it. As such, The Room was a really nice change of pace; I never pushed myself to finish it, and I only played it when I had the brain power to. I broke it up over a few days and just used it to relax.
Additionally, this is my only experience within the purely puzzle genre in years. While it's great to try something new, it's also difficult for me to feel like I can give a proper rating. Still, I'll do my best to provide insight into what I think was quite a lovely little experience.
SHORT REVIEW
Visuals: 4.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Worldbuilding: 2.5/5
Overall game score: 3.5/5 [3.4/5]
IN-DEPTH
Visuals:
Each individual chapter of The Room centers around an intricately-made box with dozens of moving pieces; every side, every crevice and surface, holds a secret for you to discover.
Not only are these boxes very creative in design, but they are beautifully rendered and presented. The graphics, the textures, the lighting - and, yes, the creativity - turn a seemingly everyday object into the center of attention here. There is massive attention to detail, leaving you constantly surprised at what these inconspicuous little containers have to reveal.
While you could argue that the lack of environmental detail is a downside, I'd actually argue the opposite; I think this works in favor of the gameplay. Although there's still some very pretty backgrounds, they're never too distracting or busy; instead, your focus is almost always on the puzzles.
Overall, 4.5/5.
Sound:
While there is a distinct lack of music, The Room makes up for this with its otherwise quality sound design. Wind or strange humming set an eerie mood while you investigate. The house around you creaks. Every little noise you make echoes around you, reinforcing a feeling of loneliness. I'm always a sucker for a good soundtrack - even if it's understated - but I think that The Room succeeds just fine without one.
Overall, 4/5.
Story:
While The Room makes a solid attempt at providing an interesting little story to go along with its mechanics, I'm not really a fan of 'mad scientist' schticks. Thankfully, any sort of plot is secondary in these sorts of puzzle games, so it never affected my enjoyment too much. The investigation of the boxes is less about pushing the narrative along, and more about the mechanical satisfaction.
It turns out that these boxes were created by the previously-mentioned 'mad scientist' - a man who'd discovered a secret fifth element. As his research into harnessing the element pushed forward, he was slowly driven mad by its visions; he then vanished into thin air. You are now solving the puzzles he has left behind to protect his life's work. But will you succeed, or will you simply follow in his ghostly footsteps?
The overall idea is pretty neat. Even if there's not much to it beyond the surface, I still think it's worth talking about. I could see it becoming an intriguing base for something with more depth. Maybe future games will ramp it up.
Overall, 2/5.
Gameplay:
Because this was my first puzzle game in years, I do feel a bit out of my depth talking about its mechanics. But I suppose I'll never learn if I don't start somewhere. Thankfully, I feel like The Room was a great starting point.
I'll begin by saying that the visuals do a lot for the gameplay. The sleek box designs are easy to parse, while still being complex to explore. Certain parts of them are blocked off until you finish others, and others are gotten rid of when they are no longer needed. This makes everything much less confusing and overwhelming, since nothing is viewable or accessible at any given time.
The puzzles themselves contain a myriad of ideas and solutions. There are definitely some difficult ones that'll make you scratch your head, but I ended up only needing a guide for one. As long as you take a break when needed and don't push yourself, it'll never get overwhelming. They're also all satisfying, which is - again - in large part due to the art design, and watching the box contort as you solve it.
But probably the best thing this game has going for it is its creativity. Nearly each and every puzzle - the dozen or so in each individual chapter - are different and unique. Everything from aligning miniature planets, to starting a projector. The Room will keep surprising you.
Overall, 4.5/5.
Worldbuilding:
The Room's lore is vague, but stylized. The antiquated, Victorian-age world is only used as a backdrop, yet the atmosphere built on it is both eerie and beautiful. But even though the visual and audio design make for an appealing environment in terms of aesthetics, The Room once again lacks any depth in its writing.
There is very little known about the characters, the setting, or much of anything beyond the fifth element itself. Your protagonist doesn't even have a motive for their actions. It's a pretty glaring issue, and something else I hope is improved upon in future entries of the series.
Overall, 2.5/5.
Overall game score: 3.5/5 [3.4/5]. The Room is a charming and thoughtful little puzzle game. Its beautiful art direction and engaging puzzles will keep your attention until the end, even if the story can't. I recommend it to anyone looking for a nice little dip into the genre.
Additionally, this is my only experience within the purely puzzle genre in years. While it's great to try something new, it's also difficult for me to feel like I can give a proper rating. Still, I'll do my best to provide insight into what I think was quite a lovely little experience.
SHORT REVIEW
Visuals: 4.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Worldbuilding: 2.5/5
Overall game score: 3.5/5 [3.4/5]
IN-DEPTH
Visuals:
Each individual chapter of The Room centers around an intricately-made box with dozens of moving pieces; every side, every crevice and surface, holds a secret for you to discover.
Not only are these boxes very creative in design, but they are beautifully rendered and presented. The graphics, the textures, the lighting - and, yes, the creativity - turn a seemingly everyday object into the center of attention here. There is massive attention to detail, leaving you constantly surprised at what these inconspicuous little containers have to reveal.
While you could argue that the lack of environmental detail is a downside, I'd actually argue the opposite; I think this works in favor of the gameplay. Although there's still some very pretty backgrounds, they're never too distracting or busy; instead, your focus is almost always on the puzzles.
Overall, 4.5/5.
Sound:
While there is a distinct lack of music, The Room makes up for this with its otherwise quality sound design. Wind or strange humming set an eerie mood while you investigate. The house around you creaks. Every little noise you make echoes around you, reinforcing a feeling of loneliness. I'm always a sucker for a good soundtrack - even if it's understated - but I think that The Room succeeds just fine without one.
Overall, 4/5.
Story:
While The Room makes a solid attempt at providing an interesting little story to go along with its mechanics, I'm not really a fan of 'mad scientist' schticks. Thankfully, any sort of plot is secondary in these sorts of puzzle games, so it never affected my enjoyment too much. The investigation of the boxes is less about pushing the narrative along, and more about the mechanical satisfaction.
It turns out that these boxes were created by the previously-mentioned 'mad scientist' - a man who'd discovered a secret fifth element. As his research into harnessing the element pushed forward, he was slowly driven mad by its visions; he then vanished into thin air. You are now solving the puzzles he has left behind to protect his life's work. But will you succeed, or will you simply follow in his ghostly footsteps?
The overall idea is pretty neat. Even if there's not much to it beyond the surface, I still think it's worth talking about. I could see it becoming an intriguing base for something with more depth. Maybe future games will ramp it up.
Overall, 2/5.
Gameplay:
Because this was my first puzzle game in years, I do feel a bit out of my depth talking about its mechanics. But I suppose I'll never learn if I don't start somewhere. Thankfully, I feel like The Room was a great starting point.
I'll begin by saying that the visuals do a lot for the gameplay. The sleek box designs are easy to parse, while still being complex to explore. Certain parts of them are blocked off until you finish others, and others are gotten rid of when they are no longer needed. This makes everything much less confusing and overwhelming, since nothing is viewable or accessible at any given time.
The puzzles themselves contain a myriad of ideas and solutions. There are definitely some difficult ones that'll make you scratch your head, but I ended up only needing a guide for one. As long as you take a break when needed and don't push yourself, it'll never get overwhelming. They're also all satisfying, which is - again - in large part due to the art design, and watching the box contort as you solve it.
But probably the best thing this game has going for it is its creativity. Nearly each and every puzzle - the dozen or so in each individual chapter - are different and unique. Everything from aligning miniature planets, to starting a projector. The Room will keep surprising you.
Overall, 4.5/5.
Worldbuilding:
The Room's lore is vague, but stylized. The antiquated, Victorian-age world is only used as a backdrop, yet the atmosphere built on it is both eerie and beautiful. But even though the visual and audio design make for an appealing environment in terms of aesthetics, The Room once again lacks any depth in its writing.
There is very little known about the characters, the setting, or much of anything beyond the fifth element itself. Your protagonist doesn't even have a motive for their actions. It's a pretty glaring issue, and something else I hope is improved upon in future entries of the series.
Overall, 2.5/5.
Overall game score: 3.5/5 [3.4/5]. The Room is a charming and thoughtful little puzzle game. Its beautiful art direction and engaging puzzles will keep your attention until the end, even if the story can't. I recommend it to anyone looking for a nice little dip into the genre.