Haunted Rooms is an episodic horror escape-the-room game for Android and iOS, with a VR mode that supports all Google Cardboard compatible VR headsets. You start you adventure in a locked room with no memory of how you got in that room. Haunted Room: Escape VR game is based around the classic escape-the-room genre, where you need to find items and use the to solve different puzzles that will help you progress through.
I've played through 6 of the available episodes. As I mentioned, this is an episodic game, so more episodes will be locked further down the road. The puzzles in the game are quite challanging, and there was one room that I was stuck for quite some time, trying to figure out what to do and how to get out. I thought that there is a bug in the game because there was no way out until I found out to get there. I won't tell you where it was and how to solve it, but that one was indeed challenging and I felt satisfied that I was finally able to find a way out.
You also have the option to combine items together, like putting ammo in your weapons and other options, which won't tell you just not to spoil it for you.
The graphics are very good and I really like the atmospheric level design and the sounds, oh the sounds in the game are amazing and really contribute to the overall suspension and beautifully compliment the overall design of that haunted mansion that you are venturing through.
The special effects in this game are really good, seeing a ghost popping out from a picture on the wall really looks like I was inside a horror movie myself.
You have the option to play the game in VR mode or Normal mode, without a Google Cardboard VR headset. The game work with any Google Cardboard compatible headset. Before playing each episode, you have the option to choose what mode you want to use. Click on the right side for Normal mode and the left side for VR mode.
I try both modes and they work amazingly well. One the Cardboard you can either use it as a gazed-based only (stare at an object to interact with it) or tap to interact, which you can change it in the game's settings menu.
In VR mode, you need to stare at the footsteps icon for two seconds and it will move you to that designated area. On the non-VR version, you just tap to move.
You also have your inventory, where you put your collected items. In VR you just look down and stare at the item to highlight it in green, and stare at a certain object to use that item. In the non-VR version you just swipe up the inventory and click the item to interact or highlight and click it onto another item to combine the two. Really simple gameplay mechanics that works great for both the VR and non-VR modes.
The game is played around finding points of interest within a room. Once you stare at a certain area or click it, if it's interactive, it will be highlighted in a glowing green light that tells you that you can interact with that certain object.
It took me about 45 minutes to complete the six available episodes.I was slow or fast, I don't know, you tell me in the forums after you played it.
I really enjoyed playing it. I did feel that it was too short and I really wanted to have more challenges. Having said that, I do acknowledge that this is an episodic game and there is much more to come. After you finish the last chapter you'll see a 'coming soon' message, so you know this isn't the end of the game.
What can I say, it's a remarkable little game, so well made, the detailed graphics, the sound effects, the jumpscares, the puzzles, the simple gameplay mechanics—everything just works so well together. I really enjoyed the game and it was an excellent VR experience for me. am looking forward to more episodes. I won't judge it by the amount of content at this moment because let's be fair, there is more content to come and it is free-to-play. For a Carboard game for this particular genre, it's really an exceptional game. This is yet another game that definitely deserves out Impressive Award—well-done devs!