Crimson Room: Decade is an escape room game by Dream Holdings and TAKAGISM Inc., and published by Dream Holdings and Degica.
It’s actually the sequel to the original Crimson Room flash game from 2004, which I honestly didn’t know even existed. And, over 10 years later, a lot of the same quirks are in play.
Gameplay is simple. You WASD around the room looking for objects to click on. Sometimes you have to crouch. And sometimes, you’ll completely miss the thing you’re supposed to interact with because it’s tiny, or a detail so fine that there’s no way you’ll ever notice it (I’m looking at you, bed lump). The original was much like that, and considering both can be finished in a very short amount of time once you know those little tricks, it’s not exactly a good thing. I finished the game in a little over an hour, and a sizeable portion of that time was made up of desperately clicking on things to find some barely perceptible point on a wall or object.
The story is interesting, to say the least. The major conceit is that in the 20’s, Leon Trotsky went around brainwashing intellectuals into accepting communism by locking them in the titular room on a ship. One such man was on his way to Japan to meet up with his Wife and as-yet unborn child. The ship he was (imprisoned) on sank, however. As his grandson, you are allowed to explore the wreck, but that basically means you are now stuck in the Crimson Room yourself, for reasons unexplained. The plot goes completely off the rails by the end, delving into Metal Gear Solid 2 mindscrew territory, and nothing is explained or resolved. But at least it stays creepy throughout.
While not a remake of the original, Decade does contain references to it. A few puzzles are solved the same way, and several objects make a return, including the (now broken) projector. The layout of the room is almost exactly the same as it was, but with more 20’s appropriate objects.
Throughout the game, you pick up a number of your Grandfather’s journal entries. They do a great job of fleshing out the story. Honestly, they’re creepy because they’re believable; there were all kinds of attempts at that sort of thing throughout history. Which is why it’s a shame nothing gets resolved by the ending; if they’d wrapped things up in a way that followed the entries, I would’ve been more impressed.
Graphically, the game is okay. Made in Unity, it’s far more detailed than the original. I had absolutely no problems running it at max settings. That being said, it’s still hard to see certain tiny details (the aforementioned bed lump). I also spent a good 20 minutes wandering around until I saw a key that I had uncovered but never picked up because it blended in with the ledge it was on so well. Make of that what you will.
Sound, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. The orchestra sting from the original is back, and somewhat cleaner since it didn’t need to be supercompressed. Music is used sparingly; only the intro movie and the part where you play the record you find spring to mind. The sound effects are fairly standard.
Overall, Crimson Room: Decade is an odd duck. It feels like it really was meant to be made well over 10 years ago. The fact that they expect you to pay $10 for it, on the other hand, is far less amusing. It can easily be beaten in an hour; less if you know what you’re doing. I can’t honestly give it my recommendation at that price, and even if it cost less, I’d only recommend it to the sort that really loves this sort of game. And I hate saying that, because the creators did actually put effort into the game.
Pros
+Creepy atmosphere
+Nice puzzles
Cons:
-Fairly short for the price
-Hunting for hidden stuff makes up the bulk of your time
-Nonsensical ending
*We were provided a copy of this game for review*
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