Over the previous six years, developer OnSkull Video games has grow to be one thing of a specialist within the ‘escape room’ style. The concept is straightforward: you (together with a number of buddies, in some circumstances) end up caught in mysterious and atmospheric environments, which you could discover, prod at, and in the end remedy the puzzles therein to flee.
Developer OnSkull has at all times carried out an incredible job of giving that old-school escape room components a definite and highly effective theme, equivalent to their prolific Escape First sequence, the place the rooms vary from dank dungeons to surreal cosmic-themed areas.
Now, the developer is taking that old-school components deep into the (possibly make-believe) previous. Escape First Alchemist throws you in among the many concoctions and riddles of the eccentric alchemist Trismegistus, who’s managed to entice himself deep inside his chambers. Why must you care concerning the plight of this flamboyant idiot? Effectively, you are his apprentice for a begin, however maybe extra importantly he is trapped you and your folks in there as effectively, which means that you simply not solely need to free him however yourselves as effectively.
You do that by fixing puzzles, brewing potions based mostly on the fantastically introduced alchemical recipes you discover mendacity round, and inspecting your atmosphere intently. Choose up arcane objects and examine them in real-time to disclose their secrets and techniques, and determine mathematical formulae on unusual contraptions to progress ever-deeper into the mazey workspace of the alchemist’s sensible–if considerably deranged–thoughts.
As if the problem alone is not sufficient, you may need to take care of the disembodied voice of the alchemist accompanying you thru your tribulations, mocking your failings, scorning your successes, and but begging you to assist free him (yep, he is moderately a confused man).
But when the prospect of getting your puzzle-solving wits examined one-on-one towards the best alchemist in medievaldom is a bit daunting, fret not, as a result of you may embark on this brain-bending journey with three different buddies. Merge your minds into an entire that is higher than the sum of its elements (although most likely extra squabbly too) to unravel this world of alchemical mysteries. Assign completely different puzzle-solving duties to completely different members of your workforce, or pore over the identical one collectively, since you by no means know when one other individual may discover or have a look at issues in a manner that you do not.
The sport has extra options brewing in its flasks as effectively. In case you’re extra into the warmth of competitors than the collective spirit of co-op, then there’s an experimental PvP mode within the works, the place you and your folks will be capable to race to finish your respective puzzle rooms quickest.
The prologue of Escape First Alchemist has been accessible to play free on Steam since November 2022, and you may nonetheless hop into the to get a pattern of the trials that await. The total model is popping out in March. On prime of all of the fantastic issues we talked about above, it’ll finally be accessible to play in VR too, which you may nonetheless be capable to play alongside individuals on the flatscreen model.
There’s at all times one thing effervescent over at OnSkull, so if you wish to sustain with all of the issues occurring on the developer, be part of their communities on Fb, Twitter, Instagram, or Discord.