Ada’s Study is a mobile puzzle game created by Sherlocked in Amsterdam.
Format
Style of Play:
- Point-and-click
Who is it For?
- Story seekers
- Any experience level
Required Equipment: Mobile Device
We also recommend a pen and paper, but it’s not necessary.
Recommended Team Size: 1
Play Time: 45 minutes, maybe more if you’re playing leisurely
Price: $1.99 USD on App Store and Google Play
Booking: purchase and play at your leisure
Description
This is a mobile game available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Once purchased and downloaded, it’s a point-and-click game with simple controls, so you can get started right away. The game tells the story through diary-letters and also comes with a small inventory system. It is set in a Victorian study and explores the life of Ada Lovelace and moral dilemmas that come with technological advances.
Scott Olson’s Reaction
My favorite escape rooms tell a story that stays with me after the final solve. Through well crafted graphics and layered reveals as to the life and work of mathematician Ada Lovelace, the designers at Sherlocked have created a short but intriguing mobile adventure in this vein. Puzzles are well clued and straightforward, each containing a philosophical reflection that culminates with a moral choice. While game controls can be a bit sticky and some components difficult to read, helpful transcriptions are provided throughout. Having greater repercussions for player decisions and a longer build to the finale would have enhanced the experience. Ultimately, Ada’s Study felt like an excellent demo for what I hope will be future forays into the mobile escape game space.
Cara Mandel’s Reaction
Ada’s Study was an enjoyable entry into the mobile puzzle game genre. It felt similar in structure to games like The Room, or House of DaVinci albeit much shorter in duration. I suspect this was intended to be the first chapter in a longer narrative-driven game. In its current form, it feels akin to a game demo, which, for the low price, felt like a commensurate value. The game design was clean and straightforward with a clear set of objectives. I found the puzzles to be of moderate difficulty. The story was intriguing and I’d be interested in playing a longer version should that exist in the future. Overall, Ada’s Study is worthwhile investment if you’re looking for a bite size puzzle snack.
Joel Smileypeacefun Reaction
You have the chance to be inducted into a secret society. But they want to test you first. Figure out what happened to the disappeared Ada Lovelace and you could be the next member.
At its best, the intuitive controls made it super easy to get started. Sherlocked truly tried to narratively justify the challenges and tie them into having a deeper meaning. The first task in particular was charmingly cheeky. Additionally, the environment of the game looks nice.
At its worst, the game is questionably short and has less content than most free-to-play escape room apps on the market. It simply doesn’t leave enough time for any part of the story to fully impact you. The puzzles themselves are also nothing out of the ordinary. Lastly, some decisions that were up to the player felt like they had little to no influence.
If you look at this as the company testing the waters of mobile gaming, sure it’s a success. But you’re not missing out on anything if you skip this one.
Fro’s Reaction
I really enjoyed how Sherlocked told a story of Ada Lovelace through concise yet compelling writing and small glimpses into her thoughts, feelings, and hopes. The puzzles meshed nicely with the story and took me further into Ada’s mystery amid a backdrop of pretty visuals and a couple of seriously cool interactions. There were two satisfying points where the decisions I made influenced what happened later in the game (and one notable place where I thought this would happen again, but it disappointingly did not). The game took its time introducing me to the world, and the onboarding and instructions were generally great. However, I encountered a couple of confusing points where it wasn’t clear what components belonged to which puzzle.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this game to fans of the point-and-click genre and would love to see some new chapters from Sherlocked in this style.
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