Feeling so close yet being so far drives you deeper!

Complexity at the simplest of form!

Make it stand out.

  • Simplicity

    This game oozes complexity at its simplest form, from opening doors to solving ever growing puzzles whilst it might seem like a very A to B game, the more you play the further B falls down the alphabet without you knowing

  • Complexity

    Whilst every day in game feels like you are just picking and placing tiles, without planning and a game plan you fall deeper into a world of eagerness and sheer determination to find a way to finish

  • Finishing Goal

    Whilst a first glance you are targeted to get to the other side of the house whilst you collect resources, building the house with the tiles you choose from 3 options, but everything is not as it seems as everyday you start all over again

Floor Plans

As you start the game you will quickly be faced with a bunch of what if`s, as you open one door it could effect what rooms come next or even the pool of tiles it draws from across the map.

Whilst giving you the sense of progress it should also be taken into mind the your progression could be a step to far a bit to quick, meaning planning is key and progression not to be forced

One thing to remember is that sometimes a negative can always lead to a positive with the right amount of luck.

Footsteps

Footsteps are the equivalent of your stamina bar every time you traverse through a room.

The best way to put it is the more you walk and the more complex your journey the more problematic it could be, but then straight lines can always come to a end very quickly.

Don`t stress though there are rooms that give you a option to get food or have food laying around within them, whilst others taking them.

Resources

Whilst picking floor plans you will notice there are symbols showing you what is within that room OR what that room may do.

Resources are a must as the later you go the more difficult it gets to traverse the map without keys or even rooms that just have no other doors to progress.

Gems and gold are a useful resource to have because some rooms you are able to acquire items but obviously that comes with a cost.

Puzzles

From Mathematical puzzles to riddles on boxes, you will find rewards behind solving these correctly, prices from resources to even needed items to make your run easier and some may even get you through a electronic door.

Certain puzzles might be simplistic at the start but grow as you spend more time exploring the mansion there may even be puzzles to solve in rooms that don`t show you there is one.

Items

You will find items around the house that may or may not help directly with your floorplan whilst you may even be able to combine certain items that help you find even more items and resources.

Items do not carry over the days with you so once you have ran out of space and time unless you have found somewhere to keep them checked in you might not find them again for a few days and they might not even be in the same room.

Passives

Don`t stress because the more you explore certain rooms and do different things there will be events that unlock during the game which allow you to start the day with extra resources and even floor tiles that never leave or change position in the house to help you bring some sort of stability to the house.

From a daily allowance to a star sign system whilst exploring certain rooms and collecting certain items, the game whilst helping, does naturally get harder.

Summary

As a Puzzle, adventure, roguelike I personally think this game whilst frustrating has tendency to pull you in deeper with the sense of progress on some runs and a sense of despair on others, the underlying storyline and mechanics are enticing to the point of sometimes needing to take physical notes to remember codes and combinations.

Whilst having cartoony graphics I personally think that it sets it apart with the underlying ambient music really making the immersive feel of a abandoned mansion being empty but something always following you.

Personally I would rate this game in its genre a solid 4 out of 5 because mechanically its simplistic and does what it needs to do very well, whilst being simplistic the complex nature does have a enticing feel but I feel that also hinders it very slightly

This game is available on Playstation, Windows and Xbox X/S and is available on Game Pass