Escape Game: Red Flower 4+

I missed the beautiful, sharp graphics I’ve come to expect from Goro Sato, but the conversation interactions within the game added something, too. Despite a whole different look and feel that I wasn’t sure I liked at first, the puzzles were excellent and the whole experience very satisfying. Very challenging - had to resort to a hint more than once!

Yet another excellent puzzle game from this developer. In this game, we’ve left the confines of the locked room and go out to explore a small Japanese city. The experience however often more surreal than what you find indoors. You end up feeling paranoid as you study everyday objects and signs, trying to glean secret messages from them. You replay odd bits of dialogue from people you meet, trying to infer hidden meaning. The game also has a much more nonlinear plot. Although it’s not quite a sandbox, you are free to roam about the city and explore locations. You can usually collect clues and solve puzzles in the order of your choosing. The puzzles ultimately do make sense. There were no glitches. My only suggestion is that in-game camera would have been a nice addition.

Maybe not as pretty as other games from this developer, but mordantly funny with a more far-and-wide-reaching gameplay that takes you via a map different locations in a city. Tough without hints or a walkthrough — the hints are pretty helpful, though not always. Another challenging clever game from a terrific developer!