I accidentally discovered it while shopping in a store recently. I originally thought it was another shoddy reskinned puzzle game when I saw the name "Escape Room Desperate Series 10 Dream Hunt", but when I clicked on it and saw that it was free, I decided to play it with the mentality of "it doesn't cost anything to try it anyway", and I finished the game in one go. It was really fun! 😅
Let's talk about the key points first: this game is completely stand-alone, with no in-app purchases, no stamina, no card draws, and not even a pop-up advertisement! Can you believe it? Is there such a conscientious domestic independent game in 2023? I remember the developer Martian Interactive, and I will play their games with my eyes closed in the future.
As for the plot, Lovecraft's famous quote was directly quoted at the beginning. I laughed at the time: Oh, you still dare to touch Cthulhu? As a result, I felt a little guilty while playing. The protagonist inherits his uncle's wooden house and has nightmares every night. In his dreams, there are twisted monsters approaching. With the dark painting style and weird sound effects, the atmosphere is full. The story is pieced together by exploring objects and letter fragments in the scene, and the uncle's secret is revealed step by step. It feels a bit like an old-fashioned horror movie, not relying on jumping faces, but relying on careful thinking to be extremely scary.
The puzzle design is generally online, with medium difficulty, and there are no puzzles that force you to get stuck. Most of the clues are well hidden and can be figured out using your brain, unlike some games that do some illogical Riddler operations just to drag out the time. The art style is hand-drawn and dark, the scenes are rich in details, and each room has many interactive points, making you want to explore more.
The only regret is that the process is rather short and can be completed in about two or three hours. However, considering that the volume of free games has far exceeded expectations, many escape room apps of the same type are "the first chapter is free, and then you have to pay to unlock it." This game directly gives you the full set, which is interesting enough.
To be honest, the market is now full of mobile games that draw money, force social interaction, and go online every day to play daily mobile games. There are not many teams that can calm down and do pure stand-alone puzzle solving. If you are fed up with those crappy games that “get stuck without recharging money”, or simply like suspense, puzzles, and Cthulhu elements, I highly recommend giving this a try. Anyway, it's free, so you won't suffer any loss if you download it. If it's not fun, just delete it.
By the way, this series has actually reached its 10th installment! I'm going to dig out the previous ones and play them, hoping the quality will be the same online. Hunters, if you have other similar stand-alone puzzle games, you are welcome to drop them downstairs. I am in desperate need of blood recently! 👻