This is Enigmaticon’s first foray into the escape room genre – did they start off on the right foot?
I don’t play too many mobile games, but as a fan of puzzles and horror, this one caught my eye. Phone Escape: Hopeless is a new take on the “found phone” archetype of puzzle games, blending the usual phone-within-your-phone navigation menu with an escape room.
I recently got to play the full game, and you’ll find my thoughts below. There are some minor spoilers, but I’ve done my best to keep things vague.
If you want to play Phone Escape: Hopeless, you can buy the full game:
You can also try it for FREE with the Lite edition:
Warning: minor spoilers for Phone Escape: Hopeless ahead!
A Macabre Mobile Mystery
The game starts as we find a phone, and open up the main menu to what one might usually expect. Different apps, such as Messages, Media, Notes, and the like. We kick things off with a message from a stranger, and already the questions are piling up.
Instead of really providing any context, most of what the stranger says is designed to give us even more questions. Where are we? Who are they? Soon, we realize that the game is not just a mere mystery-solver within the UI of the phone itself. We open up the camera app and find ourselves in a dark place.
The Puzzles
The puzzles begin with a simple keypad and sticky note to help solve a code. I think a lot of the puzzles were interesting, and didn’t overstay their welcome. Going back and forth between the phone menu and the 3-dimensional space was neat – I love it when I can solve a problem by cross referencing to other clues, and there’s plenty of that to be had!
Some puzzles were simple sequences to solve using some kind of key, and some were answers to the greater mystery at hand – the seemingly amnesiac main character’s past. While I actually liked all of the puzzles, some of them being attached to the story and some not could feel weird at times – like, why are some of them even in this room? Though many puzzles in real escape rooms aren’t always connected to the backstory themselves.
I did get stuck on one puzzle for a hot minute, though not due to difficulty. I simply didn’t realize, mechanically, how I was supposed to finish it. I’ll throw a tidbit for it without spoiling too much: when you finish turning a thing, make sure you actually press the button along with it! I was staring at my phone for about 10 minutes, trying to understand what I was doing wrong; here’s hoping I’ve saved someone from the same fate.
I also wound up using the in-game hint system during the same puzzle to make sure I wasn’t missing something. I liked how it would give out clues with progressing levels of information, though the first hint typically gave you the most obvious piece of information (e.g. “look in the place where you just got a notification”). The hints never outright tell you what the answer is, but how to get there, which I appreciate.
This way, the player can always still get the glory of solving a problem on their own, even if there was some guidance to the exact action needed.
The Story
The events behind Phone Escape: Hopeless are a mystery to be solved just like the puzzles. It’s gloomy and fits in with the dark atmosphere of the rest of the game. The messages on your phone almost never help, and even seem to be malignant towards the player character at times.
As we uncover more of the truth, the messages get more crazed, more unhinged. While the game can feel a little tropey, they make good use of them, especially for the finale. Tropes are used for a reason, after all.
What really excites me, though, is that Enigmaticon doesn’t seem to be done with Phone Escape. I’m not sure if we’ll follow the same player character in a sequel, or if it will be an anthology, but I’m glad to know we’ll be getting more of this from them.
Phone Escape: Hopeless Isn’t A Hopeless Endeavor
Overall, this was a fantastic first entry into what I hope will be an exciting escape room game series. While my playthrough had a couple of minor bugs, I think Phone Escape will really shine as the dev team continues to polish and improve on their craft!
Thanks for reading along as I yapped away about this wonderful experience – I appreciate you!
Want To Escape In Real Life?
If you like puzzle games, mysteries, roleplaying, and immersion, give one of our very own escape rooms a try. The Escape Effect is waiting for you in Orlando, Florida!