The Room Two Review
Moody, atmospheric lighting; overly intricate locks on hidden compartments; creepy whispers in the dark - this is The Room, all right. Actually, it's The Room Two, but you'd be forgiven for mistaking them. There's not much to differentiate Fireproof Games' latest from its 2012 debut. That's not entirely a bad thing, though. The Room was - and remains - one of the best mobile/tablet games of all time.In that game and its sequel, you find yourself locked in a titular room. The original game was the world's premier Hellraiser-puzzle-box simulator, and gave you a series of boxes with overly intricate puzzles to break your brain using the touch and gyroscope features mostly unique to smartphones and tablets."The Room Two approaches its moniker with more single-minded earnestness. Now, each room (broken up between six chapters) is its own, entire puzzle. That desk lamp in the corner might hold the secret transforming key to unlock that cabinet's secret compartment. That compartment, meanwhile, only reveals itself after the player's futzing with a series of mirrors set on tables throughout the room. That compartment holds the object that opens the trunk that etcetera, etcetera.As adorable as the literalness is, I do miss the sense of manic obsession that came with the puzzle boxes. I was the master of my precious little object, exploring every nook, cranny, and sundry crevice to poke and prod until terrible secrets blossomed into endless puzzle after puzzle. There was no end, there was no final solution (at least it seemed) - only another step in my own, gloriously unhealthy fascination.
