Review: The Room Two

At a Glance

ESRB Rating: NR - Not Rated
My Rating: Ages 13 and up
Genre: Puzzle / Room Escape
License: Commercial
Fun-O-Meter:
Release Year: 2016
Review Published On: January 25th, 2023
Played on: Thaddeus

Available on:

Windows

Available from:

Steam

Areas of Concern:
  • Occult references


How to Save and Pause:

This time around, players can choose between three save slots to record their progress. Once selected, your progress will automatically be saved as you figure things out.

There is no real need to pause the game, as nothing happens without your input. However, you can bring up the games menu by pressing ESC if you really feel the need to pause.

Time needed per session:

This game is designed so that you can poke at the different puzzles whenever you have some free time, so you only need to plan ahead if youre going to replay a chapter. This is because the free play mode does not support saving your progress.

Does this game pose issues for Christian players?

Yes
In this chapter, the player both witnesses and takes part in various supernatural events, including a seance where they talk to spirits using a special typewriter and tarot cards.

Screenshots

[view screenshot]
Welcome to the Aztec Room

[view screenshot]
Not an everyday playing card

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A ghastly experiment



Game Overview

One of the big problems with episodic series is that discussing anything other than the first chapter will invariably lead to giving away parts of the story. If you havent already played through the Room, then this page is going to contain some unmarked spoilers.

Now, the Room introduced us to this franchises core concepts, such as the alchemist A.S., his discovery of the mysterious Null element, the magical eyepiece he created to help study this alien substance, and the gameplay mechanics involved in solving the elaborate fourth-dimensional contraptions that he left behind. The Room Two continues the story, but also adds a few new twists to the gameplay.

Things begin with a bang as youre unceremoniously dumped into a dark chamber. During the trip, your eyepiece was broken, so the tutorial walks you through the steps required to repair it. This section also showcases one of the new mechanics - this time, the puzzles you need to solve are integrated into the environment. Thus, unlike the previous adventure, youre going to need to check every nook and cranny to figure out how everything fits together.

The final portion of most puzzles is especially noteworthy, as it involves assembling the pieces of a sigil. This odd glyph can be seen making appearances throughout the game, but its primary purpose is to summon a doors into the next area. Of course, the fact that the glyph resembles a doorway is likely intentional and will be important to the plot at some point.

To make things more interesting, each room also exists in a different place and time. This allows them to have completely unique themes and their own additions to the lore about the Null element. In particular, players will learn that A.S. wasnt actually the first person to tinker with this rogue material, and as you solve the puzzles made from these rooms, youll learn more about some of the other scientists who dared to tinker with the fabric of reality.

This is another great little puzzle game for people who enjoy thinking outside the box - or in this case, outside the realm of physics.

Points of Interest

Puzzles fill entire rooms

One of the major benefits of spreading out the puzzles is that everything can be more intricate than just a different variation on a lock and key combination. Instead of just flipping switches or finding another latch, these puzzles can test your logical reasoning or provide other challenges. Another benefit to this arrangement is that its easier to tell when youre not done with a section of the puzzle, as its much more obvious when a piece is missing or where something needs to be used.

Steam community features

Like its predecessor, there is a set of Steam trading cards and seven achievements for players to earn while they solve these new mysteries. Unfortunately, both are just as uninspired as they were in the before, so youll have earned every achievement just by completing the game.

Concerns and Issues

Overt occult references

The Room Two does not shy away from the magical nature of the Null element this time, and presents the player with a number of very explicit occult materials. One chapter is very frank about this, as it depicts a séance where the player manipulates a set of tarot cards, talks to the departed via a special typewriter, and will even earn themselves a jump scare when A.S. unexpectedly makes an appearance.

Another chapter focuses on a Frankenstein-eske laboratory, complete with logs detailing the scientists attempts to use the Null element to reanimate the dead.