Detention is a collaborative point-and-click escape game created by Virtual Escaping.
Format
Style of Play:
- Online native experience (can NOT be played IRL)
- Play on demand
- Point-and-click
Required Equipment: computer with an internet connection
Recommended Team Size: 1-3
Play Time: 60-90 minutes
Price: $40
Booking: purchase and play at your leisure
Description
Detention is a point-and-click game with built-in video chat, allowing for team members to collaborate via a browser-based system. Players solve puzzles by searching, using inventory items, and opening locks.
You can choose to play without a timer or challenge the clock. You also have the option of playing an easy or expert level game.
Hivemind Review Scale
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Cindi S’ Reaction
You begin the game sitting at a desk in a bright classroom with sounds of other students around you. Soon your eyes blink shut and you fall asleep. When you wake up, time has passed; you are alone in the classroom and the school is abandoned. There was no story, no explanation for why you time travelled in the first place, but we understood we needed to get back to the present day. The artwork was interesting and detailed and there was an overall creepy vibe to the game. We experienced several technical glitches, one of which had us trying to solve a puzzle for at least 15 minutes before we realized there was a problem with the rendering of the scene for one player. Most of the puzzles were pretty easy; the hardest part was searching around for the items you needed. Overall, this was a basic point-and-click game that was just okay.
Tammy McLeod’s Reaction
This is a decent point-and-click escape game. The synced group play worked well. The searching aspect can be challenging due to the low-light style of various game locations, but I found all the puzzles to be fair. We tried out the hint system at one point and it gave appropriate help for where we were in the game. The abandoned school theme was not particularly exciting, but the game was a fun hour of play.
Sarah Mendez’s Reaction
Despite its well-synchronized game engine and conveniently integrated video call capabilities, the actual content of this game offers little interest and requires little thought. A short video sequence at the beginning does set a haunting tone for the experience which carries throughout the artwork, but after the game begins, any hint of a story-line or motivation behind the puzzles disappears. The puzzles themselves rely heavily on careful searching and pattern matching, which yield frequent but simple chances to make connections. Frustratingly, though, too much of this search gameplay is implemented via tiny hotspots that are often imperceptible amidst the rest of the scenery, so I spent an inordinate amount of time methodically moving my cursor across the screen to make sure I didn’t overlook a clue. Thus, although the puzzles themselves might be entertaining for novice players, the search tedium makes me wary of recommending this game to them. There are better representatives of the point-and-click genre available for much less than $40.
Joel Smileypeacefun Reaction
We were sitting in class, exhausted as always. Suddenly we fell asleep. We then woke up to an abandoned school that we had to find our way out of.
At its best, there was a good variety of puzzles in this game. The challenges were not too easy, but generally pretty doable. Towards the end, one puzzle in particular was surprisingly interactive. Also, the school rooms looked nicely designed.
At its worst, there was too much tedious searching integrated into this game. Having to find one piece of paper in a library full of books and papers lying on the ground… not okay. Besides most of the puzzles that worked well, one solution seemed a bit far-fetched.
This is a cute little game if you have a boring evening and don’t know what to do. But with the rather generic storyline, don’t expect something truly outstanding.
Disclosure: Virtual Escaping provided the Hivemind reviewers with a complimentary play.