Escape room as a genre has had a very interesting history. From back in the early 00's, I was playing flash escape room games on newgrounds and the like. Flash forward to the advent of the real-life escape room outings, becoming a staple alternative to laser tag and arcades. And more recently, I've noticed games popping up that feel alot more like the real life escape rooms than the old flash games... art imitating life imitating art?

But this new style of escape room is kind of amazing, and Escape from Mystwood Manor is one of the best. You play the game in first person, with full freedom of movement. You go room to room, slowly solving puzzles to proceed.

The puzzles here are extremely well designed. Always challenging but never frustrating, I loved every minute of it. The only thing I can dock points for is - they didn't even ATTEMPT narrative whatsoever. But as a pure puzzle game, it is fantastic.

This is joining the ranks with my other favorites in this style - The Tartarus Key, Secrets of Blackrock Manor, and Is This Game Trying to Kill Me. There is something about the freedom of movement, the physicality of it, that makes it so much more immersive than the classic point and click style I am used to. And I have to tip my hat to real world escape room games for that (that's my theory at least). Check this one out!