The Room Two. If you haven't played the original Room game, I strongly recommend to go back and play it as well. While the Room Two can be completed without any knowledge from the prior game, it will enrich your experience of the plot, the visuals, and a couple of the puzzle levels. This game is only slightly more difficult then the last, with more to explore, and more places and puzzles to hide things.

You start in this game where the original Room left off; you've been sucked, quite literally, into this mystery that you inherited. Getting out means solving more puzzles, even as the letters you read by those, plural, that came before you get progressively more desperate. In this game we discover more about the universe this plot takes place in, from who had delved into the mysteries before, to what they discovered as they tripped into these forces.

Ignoring the plot, for it's delicate and subtle, is entirely possible (though where's the fun in that?). While in the original Room you were essentially rooted to one spot, able to spin boxes and puzzles and pedestals around, but not able to move about rooms and explore more thoroughly; in the Room Two, you can flit about on one stage among multiple puzzles, getting full visuals of the rooms you attempt to escape. The puzzles are complex without being frustrating, usually with clear ways to proceed; you may not know where a lightbulb is, for instance, but it's very clear you need one, and all of the puzzles give that clear sense of direction, so that while you may be temporarily perplexed, you are never lost and never irritated.

While it's a fairly casual puzzle game, none of it's targets or answers too small to be easily found, for anyone struggling, the game also will offer hints when directed. The first hint is always fairly vague, but sometimes enough to jar your memory of a minute detail, or give you an area to search in and still get the answer on your own. The second hint is always blunt, and will absolutely get you past any snag you get stuck on. For players who loathe hints, they can also be disabled entirely.

While I love the puzzles, for they are both clever, perfectly interlocking, and beautiful...the visuals are what take the cake in this game. Objects are easy to manipulate and zoom in on, letting you appreciate the craftsmanship of the items like you're actually holding them, instead of a mouse. The texturing and detailing of this game is incredible, and it's even finer and cleaner then the last game. The mechanics are solid; the camera is always smooth, it's always clear where you should click and clicking or dragging is equally as smooth as the camera angles. I encountered no glitches while playing this game. The controls are essentially intuitive within a puzzle or so.

Every puzzle level has it's charm in this game; whether you like decayed surroundings, Imperial vessels, ancient South American temples, elegant 18th century parlors, or turn-of-the-century alchemical labs, you're going to find a setting that you have to take a moment to sit back and appreciate for it's attention to details. Not just visual details, which to me still rank the most important, but little sounds. The clink of glass when moved, the sounds from outside windows, the nearly Lovecraftian slither of something right beyond your senses...the sounds and background ambiance of the game do fine work in conveying that this game isn't just about puzzles, but that there's a plot bordering on horror just waiting behind every door you step through.

This game is a fine one to play with friends; even if they don't like puzzles, just seeing the setting is rewarding. There is one chapter that's really a cutscene, which I find myself a little sad about, but it in no way detracted from the game; it added a little more flavor to the universe. Make sure you watch the water, but move quickly to leave. If you play with the lights out, you may continue hearing the background sounds of this game even after you've finished playing it. Remember, observe your surroundings; look for places where details aren't uniform, and keep in mind that sometimes you can rotate the camera angle in unexpected ways. Enjoy the details of this game, and they'll get you through it quicker.
I loved this game, and I'm desperately waiting for the next one. The games, like the puzzles, are becoming progressively more creative and complicated, and only in the best of ways.

The Room Two. If you haven't played the [u]original Room[/u] game, I [i]strongly[/i] recommend to go back and play it as well. While the Room Two can be completed without any knowledge from the prior game, it will enrich your experience of the plot, the visuals, and a couple of the puzzle levels. This game is only slightly more difficult then the last, with more to explore, and more places and puzzles to hide things. [i]You start in this game where the original Room left off[/i]; you've been sucked, quite literally, into this mystery that you inherited. Getting out means solving more puzzles, even as the letters you read by those, plural, that came before you get progressively more desperate. In this game we discover more about the universe this plot takes place in, from who had delved into the mysteries before, to what they discovered as they tripped into these forces. [i]Ignoring the plot[/i], for it's delicate and subtle, [i]is entirely possible[/i] (though where's the fun in that?). While in the original Room you were essentially rooted to one spot, able to spin boxes and puzzles and pedestals around, but not able to move about rooms and explore more thoroughly; in the Room Two, you can flit about on one stage among multiple puzzles, getting full visuals of the rooms you attempt to escape. [u]The puzzles are complex without being frustrating[/u], usually with clear ways to proceed; you may not know where a lightbulb is, for instance, but it's very clear you need one, and all of the puzzles give that clear sense of direction, so that while you may be temporarily perplexed, you are never lost and never irritated. While it's a fairly casual puzzle game, none of it's targets or answers too small to be easily found, for anyone struggling, [u]the game also will offer hints when directed[/u].[i] The first hint is always fairly vague[/i], but sometimes enough to jar your memory of a minute detail, or give you an area to search in and still get the answer on your own. [i]The second hint is always blunt[/i], and will absolutely get you past any snag you get stuck on. For players who loathe hints, they can also be disabled entirely. While I love the puzzles, for they are both clever, perfectly interlocking, and beautiful...[u]the visuals are what take the cake in this game[/u]. Objects are easy to manipulate and zoom in on, letting you appreciate the craftsmanship of the items like you're actually holding them, instead of a mouse. The texturing and detailing of this game is incredible, and it's even finer and cleaner then the last game. The mechanics are solid; the camera is always smooth, it's always clear where you should click and clicking or dragging is equally as smooth as the camera angles. [i]I encountered no glitches while playing this game.[/i] The controls are essentially intuitive within a puzzle or so. Every puzzle level has it's charm in this game; whether you like decayed surroundings, Imperial vessels, ancient South American temples, elegant 18th century parlors, or turn-of-the-century alchemical labs, you're going to find a setting that you have to take a moment to sit back and appreciate for it's attention to details. Not just visual details, which to me still rank the most important, but little sounds. The clink of glass when moved, the sounds from outside windows, [i]the nearly Lovecraftian slither of something right beyond your senses[/i]...the sounds and background ambiance of the game do fine work in conveying that this game isn't just about puzzles, but that there's a plot bordering on horror just waiting behind every door you step through. This game is a fine one to play with friends; even if they don't like puzzles, just seeing the setting is rewarding. There is one chapter that's really a cutscene, which I find myself a little sad about, but it in no way detracted from the game; it added a little more flavor to the universe. [i]Make sure you watch the water, but move quickly to leave.[/i] If you play with the lights out, you may continue hearing the background sounds of this game even after you've finished playing it. Remember, observe your surroundings; look for places where details aren't uniform, and keep in mind that [i]sometimes you can rotate the camera angle in unexpected ways[/i]. Enjoy the details of this game, and they'll get you through it quicker. [u]I loved this game[/u], and I'm desperately waiting for the next one. The games, like the puzzles, are becoming progressively more creative and complicated, and only in the best of ways.