In what is quickly becoming an overly saturated genre, Nox Noctis took a chance on creating their first game Do not open a first person horror game with a heavy escape room feel. For the most part, they’ll be happy to know that the risk has paid off, and if you can overlook some minor issues, you’ll have a lot of fun and a little dread at it.
Do not open – Seriously, do not open any doors
We had the opportunity to preview Do not open earlier this year, and it looks like I’m going to echo a lot of the comments Daniel gave the game, because for the most part it doesn’t just deliver on what the preview promised, but builds on that -this.
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For those who don’t know Do not open, you are tasked with visiting a former childhood home of a recently deceased aunt, who upon her death bequeathed the house to you. In a predictable turn of events, inheritance isn’t particularly straightforward, and you wake up in a seedy basement with no recollection of how you got there, how to get out, or where your daughter and wife went.
Without any hands-on or tutorials, you are quickly thrown into your first puzzle where you have to figure out how to escape from the basement. Weaving together the seemingly innocuous clues into a cohesive answer is truly rewarding, but it’s easy to see how frustrated some can be with the puzzles on offer in the game.
Later, you’ll discover the supernatural horrors present in the dilapidated house, which include ghosts, deformed characters, and a truly gruesome female figure that chases you around while you try to piece together the puzzles and escape. If she catches you, you end up having to restart the section, hence the potential frustration, especially when the puzzle components change with each death.
There were genuine moments of terror during my gameplay, half stemming from the tense and creepy environment, which is beautifully lit and well-designed, the other half trying to figure out the puzzle before the almost inevitable screams and grabs from the aforementioned figure.
As you explore the levels you’ll come across all sorts of collectibles that expand the story, notes, pictures, paint and disturbing clippings, this helps build the world in a creepy trope, though overused in games today.
Unfortunately, one part of the game that doesn’t measure up is the protagonist’s bad voice, which became incredibly creaky every time you cleared a door to hear “Good”, or to hear him scream for his wife and wife. girl without any real emotion, when he’s supposed to sneak up and shut up.
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The story takes precedence over the puzzles, which isn’t a surprise for an escape game, but it will keep you guessing throughout, and with the relatively short game you can test yourself and see if you can. Get through the game without failing a puzzle or even getting caught by the monster as much as you want, each time feeling fresh from the almost randomly generated puzzles.
Do not open was played and reviewed on a code provided by perverse games.
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