Room Escape Artist

Time’s Ticking is an online puzzle game created by Experios and sold through them and their resellers.

Format

Style of Play:

• Online native experience (can NOT be played IRL)
• Play on-demand

Required Equipment: Computer with internet connection

Recommended Team Size: 2-4

Play Time: about an hour

Price: $45 AUD per team

Booking: purchase and play at your leisure

Description

This is an online puzzle game that presents a series of simple challenges across different webpages.

Hivemind Review Scale

Tammy McLeod’s Reaction

For the most part, this is not a bad game. The majority of the puzzles were fair and standard for this genre of game. They were not difficult and I spent most of the game just enjoying the company of my teammates. However, I was not a fan of the final puzzle, because the design tried to be “clever” and really just came off as a cheap trick. Furthermore, at this price point, there are other better-priced alternatives that provide more interesting puzzles.

Cara Mandel’s Reaction

The reason I ranked this as a 2-star rating rather than 1-star was because this is a perfectly serviceable point-and-click, detective-type game for novice players. The story is easy to follow. The solutions are straightforward. So much so, in fact, that there are even drop down lists of multiple choice answers. I didn’t particularly enjoy this game as an enthusiast, but I definitely see its merit for entry level gamers. So, if you have a friend or family member who has been hesitant to try virtual escape games, this might be a suitable option. Though I’d be remiss in not mentioning that there are many other more creative options available on the market. (See our recommendations articles for an ongoing list.)

Theresa W’s Reaction

Time’s Ticking was on the verge of being enjoyable, yet really missed the mark on so many aspects and was neither unique nor memorable. With such a large claim of having over 10,000 players, I would have expected it to be well tested with flawless gameplay. The experience that was delivered was a bland game with some good ideas glued together, resulting in an overall bleh ordeal.

My biggest gripe with this game was the horrible hint system. I absolutely cannot stand hints that are gated behind a timer where you have to wait 2 minutes between hints. The game had no way of judging how much progress you’ve made on a puzzle, giving you the most basic hints first without letting the players determine what hint they actually needed. We had to wait a full 6 minutes to get a hint on the final step of a puzzle, and even then guessed the answer without ever getting a useful hint.

One asymmetrical communication puzzle would have been cool in any other scenario or theme, but it copied the concept of an incredibly popular game which has been overused beyond being unique or exciting anymore. This game is offered by multiple companies, and without some significant changes to the hint system or the gameplay, it’s definitely not worth playing.

Disclosure: Experios provided the Hivemind reviewers with a complimentary play.