The Room Three is a surprisingly well done game for the Android and iOS platform. The game begins in a train car with stunningly detailed graphics considering it was being played on an iPhone 6. The player will first find a letter from “The Craftsman” that both lures and warns the player about entering the rooms. Of course, the player will soon find themselves locked in a room. To proceed to new areas of the game, the player must find clues, keys, parts, and solve all types of puzzles and riddles. The Room Three is not just a single room as the name implies, but a series of aesthetically impressive, and puzzling, rooms and landscapes. The series of rooms were divided into chapters. One of the most fun chapters took place in an old-time sawmill. Gears had to be found to transfer power to the needed tools. A block of wood had to be cut with a saw and used as kindling to spark a flame in a forge. The forge was then used to form a key to unlock a chest. The proper shape of the key had to be forged or it would not work. There were various clues around the room to properly shape the key. The Room Three is sure to fulfill the definition of fun for a very large audience.
Koster’s Theory of Fun is that “fun is the emotional response to learning.” This theory of fun largely rings true in The Room Three. The largest part of the game is to learn patterns and puzzles. The learning curve of The Room Three is steep. It does not take long before the player understands the mechanics and goals in the game. As the game progresses the puzzles become more difficult, yet the player begins to learn the ways of the puzzle creator making possible solutions flow more freely. The player must explore (learn) each nook and cranny of the rooms and look for pieces, keys, or tools that may unlock the next door or box. The Room Three will appeal to the achiever and explorer player types. As stated before, the core of the game revolves around exploration. The achiever player type will be satisfied at each completed puzzle and room. Unfortunately, The Room Three will not appeal at all to Social and Killer player types.
With respect to Lazzaro’s 4 keys of fun, The Room Three would most definitely fall under the easy fun (novice) key, as most mobile games do. This game is almost entirely exploration and light problem-solving. It’s the kind of game that is easy to pick up when you have an extra half hour, although it may be hard to put down. While these are true, it is important not to lump The Room Three into the same category as most mindless time killing mobile games. The quality and level of fun far surpasses the average mobile game and puts The Room Three on the same plateau of games for platforms well beyond the mobile class
One aspect of The Room Three that enhances the player’s experience is the compelling storyline. The notes sprinkled through each room keeps the player interested and curious, and motivates them to push forward and complete the game. A game with consecutive puzzles would ultimately get boring without any real incentive to keep solving puzzles. One impressive aspect of The Room Three is that the designers included alternate endings. This keeps the player hooked and curious even after the game is played one time through. The game offers hints as a feature which serves to relieve a stuck player from frustration. The hints can be turned on or off, but even if they are kept on, the player must willingly touch the hint button to receive a hint. If the first hint is not enough to get the player back on track, a second and third hint may be requested after a given amount of time. Not only does this relieve the player when they get stuck, it also serves as a sense of accomplishment when the player completes the puzzle without using any hints.
The popular gaming site ign.com gives The Room Three a nine out of ten rating. Certainly, there are not too many negatives to mention about the game, but a few do lie in the mechanics of the game. Interaction with the puzzles relies totally on the touchscreen. Sometimes a player may find themselves “button mashing” the touchscreen to find a small switch, button or lever. A wide finger is not ideal for controlling small switches such as these. Playing on an iPad or Tablet would help in this area because of double or triple the screen size.
Overall, this is one of the most entertaining video games available for the mobile platform. The mere price of $4.99, will provide 6 to 10 hours of fresh and exciting puzzle fun.
Here are some riddles in the opening chapter of the game:
The power of flight, the well of knowledge. What am I?
The poor have me, the rich need me. What am I?
My face is silent without my hands. What am I?
Sources
http://www.theoryoffun.com/
http://www.xeodesign.com/research/
http://www.ign.com/
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