Back in October of 2024 I had the chance to speak with solo developer Jay Marksman about an upcoming project of his. The game was titled Escape from Mutation Station, and was said to be a short and unique escape room experience. Being a huge fan of escape room style games since the early 2000s, thanks to games like Mystery of Time and Space, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the project, and my interview with him ended with me being even more excited for the game. It seemed very promising, and I was wishing him the best of luck with his endeavor.
Well, it has been nearly half a year since that day, Escape from Mutation Station is finally out on Steam, and we were fortunate enough to receive a free review copy from none other than Jay himself. Now with the game in hand, only one question remained: was the game worth the wait?
The Story:
Escape from Mutation Station is not a story based escape room; at least not entirely. The game opens up with "you" getting out of bed, and coming face to face with a computer. The computer explains that you are locked in a room, and that your one and only goal is to escape it. There is no time limit, and you can even sleep if you want to; you just need to find your way out eventually, and that is all that matters.
And that is basically it! This is as far as the story goes, and that is perfectly okay! It provides a goal, and a few other little "hints" are hidden around the room itself, but that is all players are given with this one. It is a pure escape room experience, with the one and only focus being to escape.
The Escape (Part 1):
Jumping into the actual gameplay, things are pretty simple. You can walk around the small 3D room, you can click to interact with objects, and there is a computer with information to shuffle through. The controls themselves are very simple, and work with both a controller and keyboard, and at first glance it works pretty well when using Steam Link to other devices. I personally played a good chunk of the game on a handheld device, and had no issues initially. This does change later on though, but not until the "second half" of the escape.
During "Part 1" of the game, things are actually pretty straight forward. Thanks to my interview with Jay I already knew that thinking outside the box would be key to getting through this, and the first thing I discovered was actually just that; going outside the box. I went into this game with the mindset of "if I were to design a crazy puzzle, what would I do?" And that personally helped me fly through the initial section. I actually have somewhat of a history with designing complicated puzzles for games, and some of the tricks I would've used were actually at play here early on. The rest of the initial puzzle solving comes from simply moving objects or investigating things to find keys, and that allows you to gain access to even more items and puzzles to solve.
Overall there aren't a lot to solve in this section in general, and it roughly took me ten or so minutes to fly through it. I was honestly thinking that the game would be too easy, but then something happened... I gained access to the scanner.
The Escape (Part 2):
After gaining the scanner item, hidden clues come into view, and they become key to solving the last half of the game; the computer.
Although the computer is there the entire time, it really isn't clear how to solve it until the scanner helps point you in the right direction. Even then it doesn't actually flat out give you the answers, and it still requires critical thinking skills to figure out what it is you need to do. There are six main puzzles within this PC, and each one requires a specific input, or code to actually solve it. Some of them I picked up on quote easily, but then others were just as easy to completely overlook.
One of the solutions was right in my face the entire time, but it took me nearly half an hour for it to sink in. Looking back now I can't believe I didn't realize it, but I'm also glad that it required me to actually pay attention. Then there was the puzzle that brought me back to the days of browser source code puzzles, but in this case I completely overthought the answer and took even longer than I should've. But again, I liked that, and I liked that the answer was but also wasn't so obvious. These are the types of puzzles you rarely see within a game, and truly requires a different thought process to find the answers. This, however, is also why Steam Link isn't a great answer feature to use for this game, and it is also not a game you can play without a smart phone.
Minor spoilers, but QR code reading is required at the start of the second half of the game. Those unfamiliar with what a QR code is may get stuck right away, but for the most part the vast majority of people playing this game will instantly recognize what the strange square is. Additionally there are other puzzles you will need your physical computer to solve, and may even need to know how to use a basic program pretty much every PC comes with. (Don't worry, I will not spoil it.) Either way, this isn't a game you can fully complete without having access to the PC it is being played on, so Streaming it to other devices isn't recommended.
Once the main puzzles are solved, an additional challenge puzzle unlocks as well, and completing that is what will ultimately complete the game for good. This final puzzle requires even more thought however, and even had me questioning if what I was doing was even right. Shockingly it was and I finished it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't guessing.
Should you play it?
Escape from Mutation Station is a game that I can for sure recommend to anyone who enjoys puzzles and escape rooms. It is roughly only two hours long, but the low price tag of $3.99 feels like a perfect trade off for the game's length. Real world escape rooms are usually $30 or higher per person, and are usually limited to just one hour; so paying a fraction of that for a couple of hours in a video game really isn't a bad deal. Of course I did receive this game for free, but I would've happily paid the price if I had to.
As for the actual gameplay itself, I did enjoy what the game had to offer. Would I like to see more? Sure! In fact, I'd love to see Jay turn this into a complete series with new rooms and puzzles to solve, but for now I am satisfied with what it is. Not every game needs to be hundreds of hours long, and sometimes these shorter experiences can have an even longer lasting impact on you once you finish it.
Escape from Mutation Station is going to be one of those puzzle games I'll always remember playing, but it also isn't one I will be returning to anytime soon. Like with most escape rooms, once you know the answers, it does ruin the fun of solving it... And without randomizing puzzles, there isn't really a way to counter that.
Even so, if you have a few dollars to spare, this is an escape room you will not regret playing. It is short, yet fun, and the puzzles are unique enough to help the game stand out from others. So do yourself a favor, and give it a chance when you can!
VERDICT: Recommended
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