Game: Doors: Paradox
Genre: Puzzle
System: iOS (Also available on Android)
Developers | Publishers: Snapbreak Games
Age Rating: US 9+ | EU 9+
Price: US Free | UK Free | EU Free (With IAP’s)
Release Date: October 8th, 2021
Review code used, with many thanks to Snapbreak Games.
Doors: Paradox is the third instalment of Snapbreak’s new series “Doors”, after releasing Doors: Origins and Doors: Awakening.
Doors: Paradox
Doors: Paradox is a puzzle game similar to The Rooms series. Each level presents a floating diorama puzzle with a door in the middle of it. Your task is to open that door by activating a variety of mechanisms on the diorama. Each clue and mechanism will advance you one step closer to accessing and unlocking the door and moving on to the next puzzle. The difficulty level is for beginners, and it’s not that difficult so that anyone can play. However, even if you do get stuck, there are hints to help you along.
Short Tutorial
A short tutorial will start when you begin the first level. It’s a pretty simplistic control system on iOS as you tap to take an item and put it in your inventory. Then, a swipe is all that is needed to rotate the floating diorama stage to investigate it from all sides.
Find all the Hidden Items
There is a little bit of a story as you play through the game. A black cat leads you through the series of mystical doorways, telling a story of order and chaos. It is great to have a story added to the game as it does help to keep your interest and encourages you to want to proceed forward to see what happens.
Several items are hidden behind doors and lids during each level. Therefore, it pays to look everywhere around the diorama to pick up items and find clues. In each puzzle, you will pick up some things that you can use to further your progress in the puzzle, such as a knife to cut a rope. You can use the item you got by dragging it to a place that seems relevant to use it.
You’ll be twisting cranks and pulling levers and manipulating the little worlds to open the door. You will also find and pick up some items that are not directly related to solving the puzzle. For example, red and blue gems and scrolls are hidden on the stage. Scrolls add a little bit of a story to the puzzle, supplying you with some lore. Gems are needed to unlock the last stage of the game.
Distinctive Style
All the levels have their distinctive style. For example, in one puzzle, you might be on a pirate island, and in the next, you might be flying through space on an intergalactic machine. It has a good mix of puzzles and a great mix of surroundings each puzzle is set in. I really like the variety in the different settings for the puzzles.
Visuals
Visually the game is stunning on my Ipad pro. With rich and vibrant colours throughout the game. With the different surroundings or environments that each puzzle is set in, it never gets boring for the player. There are even a few mild horror settings too. Again, it is a great mix and urges you onwards to see what is next.
Conclusion
Doors: Paradox isn’t a particularly long game. I completed it in a few hours of play. But it has satisfying puzzles offering lots of eureka moments when you finally make it through the door and on to the next puzzle. The puzzles have logical solutions to them, so there is less stumbling around trying to figure out what’s next, it also makes it less frustrating for the player and enjoyable.
Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot 