For this critical play, I chose to play a game called Adventure Escape Room — the Trapmaker story found on Steam.
The game mechanics involve exploring different rooms and areas, searching for clues, and solving puzzles to progress through the story. The puzzles range in difficulty and type, from decoding ciphers and solving riddles to finding hidden objects and manipulating the environment. Players must use logic and observation skills to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets of the Trapmaker. The game includes a hint system that players can use if they get stuck, as well as an inventory system where they can collect and use items throughout the game.
The entire time, the player is aware that the environment is being explored to determine who the Trapmaker is. All the game mechanics tie into this narrative of trying to find the identity of the Trapmaker.
As for the main loop, Trapmaker involves a series of puzzle-solving challenges that are repeated throughout the game, such as searching for hidden objects, decoding clues, and solving logic puzzles. These puzzles become progressively more challenging as the game progresses, allowing players to build up mastery over time. One of the main arcs in the game involves the player’s investigation of the Trapmaker, a notorious serial killer. As the player solves puzzles and uncovers clues, they gradually learn more about the Trapmaker’s motives and methods, building up to a climactic confrontation with the killer.
While the loops kept the game interesting and made me want to figure out the killer was, the game UI was pretty off-putting. The setting was very unrealistic and the game mechanics were very tedious (very hard to explore the clues). I was kind of bored of the game within 10 minutes, but wanted to explore it a bit further for the sake of the critical play.
