Games worth discovering

How a Ghost Story Made Me Quit My Detective Career - The Forgotten Room Review

32K View2022-08-18

Being born on Halloween has afforded me plenty of jokes in the past. I’ve been called a devil baby, a born rebel, and even a witch! Indeed, several old wives’ tales exist about what it means when a baby is born on Halloween, including that they are immune to evil spirits and that they have a “second sight” ability to see what may happen in the future. So far, I’m not sure any of these have been true for me. But what I can say is that I’ve always had a fascination with horror and the unknown. A horrifying ghost story that chills to the bone is perfect for getting me into a good mood no matter what time of year.

So a horror-based point-and-click puzzle mystery like The Forgotten Room immediately demanded my attention as the next game I needed to play. What I got was a pretty creepy puzzler with a score that added to the overall atmosphere. Oh, and did I mention...it was difficult as hell?!

Developed by Glitch Games, The Forgotten Room tells the story of the disappearance of a sickly little girl named Evelyn. Your job as a hired PI is to solve the case of the missing girl and find out what happened. It’s not the most original story—a creepy girl goes missing, and you’ve got to find her—but I thought the opening scene was pretty cool, particularly in how it used film noir elements to get players into the mind of a hard-boiled PI on the job. Alongside some spooky music and ominous environmental artwork, The Forgotten Room thrusts players right into the horror mystery.

But when I finally arrived at the creepy house, there was no tutorial and no apparent hints on what to do or how to proceed. My objective was to find batteries for my flashlight, and it took me forty-five minutes to do that! Now, I’m no slouch when it comes to puzzlers or escape rooms. Still, I questioned my abilities with The Forgotten Room, because I was literally wandering from room to room with no clue what to do. I was immediately frustrated!

But during my aimless wandering through the manor, I discovered some cool wrinkles to the gameplay. The wall art was memorable, and I liked using the camera. This handy tool allowed me to take pictures of everything and even draw on the photos to help remember clues.

Examining my photos to see if I would be greeted by a ghost or some horrifying apparition kept me on edge. However, it still didn’t help me find the damn batteries for my flashlight! And this was just the first mystery I was struggling with. It made me wonder how difficult the game would be in its entirety. According to the game’s description, there’s a “glitch cam” that is supposed to serve as a guide to how to proceed, but I can’t say that I ever found much use out of this mechanic. If anything, the rare clues that the game actually offered showed me the path to the next puzzle I had to solve, but not how to solve it or even where to begin. Guidance would have definitely been appreciated.

With that said, if you’re a fan of more challenging mysteries, The Forgotten Room should be right up your alley. Those looking for a less intense puzzle experience may want to reconsider before dropping $1.99 on the full game. For my part, I eventually cheated and turned to an online walkthrough to figure out how to access the flashlight batteries. Even after reading the solution, I didn’t think it was an obvious answer, especially as the game’s first puzzle.

Frustrations with some of the game’s obtuseness aside, I would say the positives outweigh the negatives in The Forgotten Room. The setting is creepy, the score is excellent, and the point-and-click controls operate seamlessly. An added benefit is that the game has the occasional laugh-out-loud moment, like when I stumbled on this copyright-dodging version of a popular ghostly game.

The negatives are still there, though, particularly in the predictable setup and the baffling puzzles that have very little in-game assistance. Depending on your patience, these negatives could end up stopping your mystery dead in its tracks before it even gets going. Hardcore puzzle fiends out there will probably find a lot to love here, but playing The Forgotten Room made me realize two things: 1.) I’m seriously questioning the second sight ability that Halloween babies are supposed to have, and 2.) I should probably refund the money of the woman who hired me to find Evelyn because I just did not have the patience.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• 3D Escape Game Chinese Room. I’m a fan of escape rooms and puzzlers! If you are too, then play The Forgotten Room.

• Horror. “It was a dark and stormy night” is a familiar opening in the horror genre, but it’s still a perfect way to set up a creepy atmosphere. The Forgotten Room is eerie and dark and happens to occur on a stormy night. If this sounds like your ideal way to spend a night, give it a try.

💬 Was The Forgotten Room too hard? And what’s your favorite horror game? Share your thoughts, and I’ll respond!

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER RECENT REVIEWS FROM TAPTAP: