Taking a break from match-games, I decided to try my hand at some puzzle games. I always liked puzzle gaming, mainly because there is often no time limit and you can take things at your own pace. Back in ancient times, I was a fan of the puzzle-heavy point-and-click adventure games, like the "King's Quest" series, "Neverhood," and of course, "Myst." I like cypher and codebreaking brainteasers, and was always intrigued by puzzle boxes. Seeing a couple of recommendations for gaming apps built around these concepts inspired me to try out the highly rated "The Room" from 2012. It seems to be the most popular and influential title in the genre, and spawned several sequels, the latest released earlier this year.
I played the whole game through twice over the weekend and mostly enjoyed it. Each of the five levels involves opening and manipulating ornate puzzle boxes and other mechanical devices. There's lots of poking around hidden panels and assembling various objects. I managed to get pretty far without using the hints much, and even then it was usually for non-intuitive things like having to press two buttons at once, or missing a secret panel entirely. Some of the game mechanics are very clever, like having to tilt my iPad to get objects to slide into the correct positions. There's much more emphasis on physical manipulation than on riddles or codebreaking. You spend a lot of time repairing things and getting stubborn clockwork to work right. The physicality of all the objects is excellent.
What I didn't like, and what hindered some of my progress a few times, was the game's lighting. I understand that the dimness was for dramatic effect in some cases, or to make some of the surprises less obvious. However, I got tripped up twice with puzzles where I had trouble seeing some of the elements that I needed to solve them - deciphering red markings on black stones at one point was especially aggravating. Moreover, "The Room" is horror themed, taking place in a series of darkened interiors with a lot of black space. The storyline, relayed epistolary style through a series of yellowed letters, is essentially a mad scientist story about messing with a sinister "Null" energy that opens the door to an evil dimension. I find this sort of narrative very dull and played out, but thankfully the horror imagery was mostly limited to some scary doors and glowing bloodstains.
Frankly, I'm not a fan of horror games, and decided that I wouldn't be playing any of the other "Room" installments, given that they appear to double down on the dark and creepy stuff. Also, the puzzles in the subsequent games become less about puzzle boxes and more about the mechanical tinkering. I went to look for some alternatives, only to discover that almost all the popular puzzle games out there right now are horror-themed. "The House of Da Vinci"? A murder mystery that ends with the player getting clobbered and left for dead. "Device 6"? A paranoid thriller that leaves you with an existential crisis. Now that I think about it, even "Myst" had feuding evil brothers trapped in books . There are also escape room games and the old point-and-click adventure games with more diverse aesthetics, but apparently you can't have a puzzle game that doesn't also contain creepy or disturbing elements.
I've found over the last few years that I enjoy certain segments of gaming very much, but have very particular sensibilities that are at odds with the current trends in gaming. Dark, gloomy, industrial visuals bore me, along with anything trying to look too realistic. I like stylized, brighter, flatter visuals that pop more. I'm also the very definition of a casual gamer, who likes to take my time and relax while gaming. Anything that makes me feel overly anxious or uncomfortable is no fun for me. So "The Room" was entertaining, but also left me a little frustrated that there aren't games like this that are more to my tastes. I mean, nothing about a puzzle game is inherently creepy. Real world puzzle boxes are completely benign.
So why do the digital versions all seem to think they have to be the next Lament Configuration from "Hellraiser"?
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