i really enjoyed this game! i just loved knowing that the art was hand drawn and its graphic novel style — seriously that's so impressive in and of itself. as far as gameplay, i was hooked from start to finish. the puzzles were challenging enough and i loved the wide variety of them which made it hard to put down. i finished it in a few hours. as far as the story, it was engaging, though i found the white guy in china/white savior setup both cliché and problematic. there were also several typos that were annoying when reading. i would love the option to go back to re-read if you accidentally tap and miss some of the story (which i did several times).all that said, and despite the issues i had, this was a very enjoyable game that i would recommend to anyone that enjoys a good puzzle or escape game. really hoping another installment in this series is in the works!

I love these types of games generally but the story was kind of annoying. Didn’t really make sense except in an extremely colonial way. If you just want the puzzles it’s fun but not as good as other story and puzzle point-and-clicks out there that are the whole package. Not really worth the cost to me. If the clueless British man charging in to be the hero in a random country he claims to know a lot about but doesn’t seem to at all angle was more tongue in cheek I’d have enjoyed it but it just didn’t really even make the story make sense the way it was. Ok but disappointing.

Having played almost every escape game in the App Store, I struggle to find new, challenging games. I stumbled on to this one and it just kept giving. It was tricky, long, and illustrated nicely. I played this without hints or a walkthrough over the course of about 2 weeks (maybe an hour or two per day). The puzzles were challenging, but the logic was solid and always made sense. I don’t love stuff with too much story - this one definitely had that, but that would be my only complaint if i had one. For folks who have played Rusty Lake or Glitch Games’ titles, this is along the lines of those in quality and difficulty. (Although, maybe a bit harder than Rusty Lake). If you’re looking for a game to keep you occupied for a bit, I highly recommend.

The effort to make this game is good. The story is intriguing and even when it was pay to play, playing for $1.99 was a good deal. However, a lot of work is needed to improve the interface. Many times I had to take the hint despite clicking on right locations because the game just did not register the clicks. The sand test tube puzzle needs to be checked. Even when I solved it, it did not finish. I had to use an easier version of the puzzle to actually finish. Some programming issue. There is a typo in General Zang chapter. It would be even better if there was another chapter and a couple of puzzles to escape the palace at the end, especially in the secret passage. Also, when some object interaction is finished, it would be better if that object does not get interacted with anymore. That will save a lot of confusion. I liked the easy version mode in case someone needs to skip a puzzle. Overall good game.

Ok so I was reading the other reviews before writing mine. And saw the dev response on one of the reviews.This developer is a mum with a toddler, is an artist and had her husband pose for her drawings! Add on top of that creativity…lots of fun puzzles, simple yet engaging storyline, out-of-the-box (yet logical) challenges…for only $1.99! It can’t get any better than that!Loved the background music as it fit the traditional Asian style.The ONLY thing that imho could be improved is having faster click-response times? There’s a delay after clicking an area …so sometimes it seems as if nothing is happening so would click again…causing a mess of clicks. Not sure if it’s possible to address this. But it’s not a deal breaker either. There aren’t a lot of these kinds of adventure games in the App Store. Prob because they require a great deal of time, intelligence and talent! It’s also so refreshing to find a game that isn’t steeped in witchcraft and occult/demonic themes (like The Cube series…yuck).So will definitely be looking forward to her next game!Thank you!🙏🏻

I haven’t finished the game yet, but I have spent multiple hours playing it at this point. I think it’s the best puzzle game I’ve found for iOS. It’s atmospheric, stylish, and mysterious, but not creepy or dark, which I love. It feels like a movie from the forties. The writing is excellent, which is often neglected in these kinds of games. I like that you can make a single puzzle easier, instead of changing the difficulty of the whole game. Would definitely recommend!