App Army Assemble: Mini Escapes: The Below - "Does this puzzler offer a great escape?"

Before escape rooms became a popular, real-life way to hang out with your pals, they were prominent in gaming, particularly during the Flash era. So, there's definitely a slight retro vibe with Mini Escapes: The Below. But it's a timeless genre, and to see how it stacked up against other puzzles of its ilk, we handed it over to our App Army.

Here's what they said:

Escape the room games have a long history on iOS and are a game type perfect for touch gaming. The Below! plays well in the genre with a combination of finding puzzles/items and solving the sometimes quite hard puzzles. What sets it apart is the dark presentation, setting a suspenseful scene. I have yet to complete the game, and I got stuck quite a lot. For an escape-the-room kind of game, this is a good thing. Recommended.

From what I have played so far. I realise I’m not the best at escape room games. But this game is fun. I love the atmosphere/story. I like the horror atmosphere. The beginning of the game hooked me. I want to keep playing to see where it goes. The puzzles are just the right level of “A-ha! So that’s what I need to do”. Rather than a massive head-scratcher, so that’s a massive plus. My only issue is that I get a bit muddled with the photo interface. But otherwise, I recommend it.

Mini Escapes: The Below is a point-and-click puzzler divided into chapters. Big thumbs up for this, as I always love when puzzle games are divided into small chapters or checkpoints. It is simple to play control-wise for beginners. The riddles are tough, but the accomplishment vibes/feeling are there when you progress. Graphics are simple, mostly static pictures/scenes with very little animation. The environment is dark and spooky. There is the option to view in-game scenes as a photo, which is incredibly helpful during puzzles, but sadly, it is missing a hint feature. Voice-overs are pretty average, sfx/music are decent.

I like the atmosphere of the game with its eerie music and creepy environment. The puzzles weren’t too challenging once you understood the game’s logic. I would’ve appreciated a hint system, especially for the first one, but I managed to figure it out, and once I did, the rest of them weren’t too much of a challenge. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think fans of the genre will too.

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Mini Escapes: The Below is a well-executed point-and-click adventure. You wake up in a room and must find clues and pick up and manipulate objects to solve puzzles and escape the trap you’ve found yourself in. The lack of a hint function is disappointing, but the ability to take ‘photos’ and refer back to them is a great help. The game is not long, and once you’ve done it there no reason to play it again. Still, it does what it does well and gets a thumbs up from me.

Mini Escape is an old-school point-and-click puzzle adventure game with a retro feel. While the graphics are intentionally old-fashioned, the gameplay is excellent, and the puzzles are engaging. The game does have a few issues. Inventory items can be difficult to see, and there are no hints available, which may make progress frustrating for some players.

However, it's clear the developer was aiming for a classic retro experience, and they largely succeeded. I hope these minor issues are addressed in future updates. It's also great to see that the game has no in-app purchases, which is a refreshing change.

This is a point-and-click puzzle game where you find yourself trapped in an underground maze and must solve riddles to escape. You need to gather clues and use an in-game camera system to capture visual details along the way. The game is very short and easily completed, yet it keeps you engaged and wanting to play more. I really liked the mechanic of taking photos of clues.

The fact that it’s a premium game makes the experience even better, as there are no distracting ads. I thought it was great and highly recommend it. It’s perfect for casual play while out and about or waiting in line at the bank—a great way to beat boredom in those situations.

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Mini Escapes: The Below