Room Escape Artist

The Curse of Amberly Manor is a point-and-click adventure game created by RC Escape Rooms in the UK.

Format

Style of Play: point-and-click adventure game

Required Equipment: computer with internet connection

Recommended Team Size: 2-3

This game requires at least 2 players on two different devices. It cannot be played solo. It’s best played on a video call.

Play Time: 60 minutes

Price: £12.49 ($16.39 USD) per team

Booking: purchase the game and play at your leisure

Description

This is a standard LucasArts-style point-and-click adventure game. Each player can individually explore the room that the group is in, but when one player solves a puzzle, all connections stay in sync with the solution. When one player exits the room, all players exit together.

Hivemind Review Scale

Joel Smileypeacefun Reaction

This online on-demand game actually had a running one-hour timer that gave me some adrenalin to power through the game.

At its best, the technical structure of the game worked really well. I played in a team of two and we were able to join the same game and explore things simultaneously. The puzzles and challenges offered great variety. The price of the game is pretty fair.

At its worst, the game felt too short and easy. I have a hard time believing the team size of up to 10 players, especially because of the very linear gameplay. A couple of more layered puzzles would have been appreciated.

If you want a little escape game warmup with a friend, this game will do it. If you’re looking for a more substantial game, this might not be your first choice.

Sarah Mendez’s Reaction

I would liken this game to a slightly enhanced version of the free point-and-click games floating throughout the internet. The trailer and intro describe an elaborate story for this game, but beyond this initial setup, very little about the game makes narrative sense. Instead, this game feels mostly like a collection of disjointed puzzles strewn haphazardly throughout a small mansion (with an upstairs garden??). Because the puzzles aren’t motivated by the story, connecting information relies entirely on pattern matching rather than logic. Thus, the most interesting elements of the game for me were within individual puzzles, but your mileage there will vary based on how much you enjoy math, spatial reasoning, and a bit of dexterity. Overall, there are fun tidbits in this game, but not enough to justify the cost.

David Spira’s Reaction

The Curse of Amberly Manor was a collaborative point-and-click puzzle game in the style of The 7th Guest. It had a spooky aesthetic and intro… but that’s about where the story ended. It was a collection of well constructed puzzles with a fun interface.

This won’t change your life, and it likely won’t blow your mind. It’s just quick and approachable entertainment.

Whether I’m stuck in my home or not, I can easily see myself paying a few dollars and enjoying a game like this with friends who live far away.

Disclosure: RC Escape Rooms provided the Hivemind reviewers with a complimentary play.