[REVIEW] The Room

Walter Somerville
(iOS [Reviewed])

One of the  fondest memories I have of my childhood is the time I spent exploring alien worlds with my father.  We would walk about, drinking in the strangeness of the plants, animals and architecture, puzzling our way towards a somewhat vague goal of familial reconciliation, dictated by a man and a magic book.  I am, of course, speaking of Cyan Worlds’ brilliant Myst series.  It’s strange, and rather sad that no one has ever successfully followed in their atmospheric-puzzlemaking footsteps (even their own series took a turn for the worse after the third entry), but after years of waiting, Fireproof Games may have finally made a successor that doesn’t suck. 

The Room is a Lovecraftian blend of ambiguous storytelling, disquieting atmosphere, and devious puzzling.  The set up is simple: a friend has written you a letter, explaining that he has discovered something wonderful/terrible, and it is contained within a massive puzzle box in an empty attic.  It is up to you to solve its riddles, and reveal what lies within.  The story is purposefully sparse, and it’s lack of clarity emphasizes the ambiguity of the entire situation. Who is your friend?  Why should you trust him?  What on earth are those whispers!?  Are two Goth kids doing the nasty in the next room over?

Thankfully, the story is only a periphery diversion, the true centerpiece of the game is the massive, intricate, puzzle box in the center of the room.  As you solve its riddles, it opens to reveal many more, allowing you to plunge further into its strange mysteries.  Beautifully rendered, the box, as well as the surrounding room, can be panned around from every angle.  Textures are sharp, and the different materials are presented with strikingly lifelike detail.  The box is not static, either.  Many knobs and secret panels reveal intricate mechanisms that click and whirr convincingly.  Every new discovery causes the box to change, and transform, and the further in you go, the more sensational the visuals become.

A lot is made of a mysterious eyepiece, near the beginning of the game.  Apparently it will allow you to reveal “that which is hidden,” and see the “truth.”  In reality, it is a relatively simple mechanic that allows you to see through certain materials.  Vantage and scrutiny are  important aspects of the puzzles in The Room, even beyond the aforementioned eye-piece.  Many secrets are cleverly disguised by the ornate decorations that line the box.  If something looks off or out of place, chances are you will be able to manipulate it in someway, gaining one step towards the center of the box.

One of the things that makes The Room so fantastic is its relative lack of rules.  There aren’t reoccurring nodes, or strangely similar levers that allow you to effectively “learn” the game.  Each puzzle is interacted with in the same way you would interact with it if it were physically sitting in front of you right at this moment.  Knobs are turned, drawers pulled out, and cranks are, well, cranked.  It brings to mind Frictional Games’s Penumbra series and the critically acclaimed Amnesia: The Dark Decent.  The touchscreen allows you to extend your reach through the screen, and feel as if you are touching something real on the other side.  Occasionally you will run into a puzzle that seems to have no solution, but a three-tiered hint system helps to alleviate the frustration.  These few moments of utter confusion represent the only major flaw I found in The Room, and after figuring them out, I often ended up kicking myself for not seeing a secret panel, or hidden symbol, on my own.  

The Room is the sort of game you want to keep on your iPad long after you beat it (which takes around four hours).  It is a prime example of just what can be achieved through tablet gaming.  Its story and a few of the puzzles may lack a clear direction, but its spectacular use of the touch screen and the truly believable graphics eclipse any shortcomings.  If the environmental puzzle genre seemed to die with Cyan Worlds, The Room effectively resurrects it in a manner distinctly suited for portable touch screens. I really cannot recommend it enough; it is easily one of the best games available on iOS, and I can’t wait to see what Fireproof Games comes up with next!