Your House review – “Brilliant use of interactive text-based puzzles, but might just get frustrating in the long run”

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  • What is Your House and is it really yours?
  • Incredible execution of text-based puzzles
  • Can get pretty frustrating after a while

Looking for an interactive story-based game that boasts stunning visuals and a handy portrait mode, ideal for a hassle-free, engaging experience on your mobile device. That’s the kind of game I’m seeking!

Instead of diving into the enigmatic atmosphere and emotional dialogues of this house in the interactive mystery, should you seek out a different source to satisfy your storytelling needs, or is it worthwhile to unravel its secrets?

On paper, you might think that a
won’t have much to do with any kind of immersive imagery but Your House masterfully combines its actual text with gorgeously designed artwork to offer bite-sized puzzles in every chapter. The distinct art style adds to the 1990s vibe here, with escape-room-esque brainteasers and an enigmatic past to discover as you tap your way through the titular house.
That last question is what brings me to my biggest gripe with You House – it’s that more often than not, the frustration will come not from the puzzles themselves but from trying to figure out what you’re even supposed to tap in the first place. Because there are no obvious means of pixel-hunting here – with the artwork and the seamlessly drawn images – it’s hard to see which part of the image is actually interactive.
Case in point – during the very beginning, I had to spend a good chunk of my time trying to find what I was supposed to do next, only to find out that the clips holding a certain poster on the wall could actually be tapped to remove the poster and reveal what’s behind it. I mean, I can only do so much tapping on my screen before the urge to ragequit takes over me.

In true fashion of the genre, it’s a lot about tapping rather than physical action – here, I mostly read through the engaging text that unfolds the story. The words themselves often hold subtle clues to help me advance, and occasionally, I need to tap on specific chapter icons to move forward in the narrative.

As much as I’m captivated by the clever design elements, such as text shrinking as you scroll to the left, mimicking a tight squeeze or a search through cluttered words, there are moments when the puzzles seem more like tricks than genuine challenges, and these instances occur more frequently than I find satisfying.

What’s the appeal?

Some of the puzzles are absolutely inspired, like taking some words literally rather than figuratively to unlock a message, or fumbling through the darkness and using Quick-Time Events in text form to escape certain events. But you’ll also need to get your timing right for a few of the brainteasers, which isn’t always the most intuitive thing.

On mobile devices, there’s an issue known as the “fat-finger problem.” For example, I once had to tap and hold to follow a word that kept moving around on my screen. However, my finger was obstructing the view, making it difficult to accurately track the moving word without multiple failed attempts. Additionally, there were several sound-based puzzles included, but since I was playing in public with my device set to mute, I couldn’t engage with these puzzles effectively while outside.

It seems likely that Patrones & Escondites will maintain a similar approach, given their previous work like Delete After Reading. I find myself yearning for more thought-provoking puzzles instead of the seemingly gimmicky and illogical ones – maybe I’m just not as adept at understanding these types of challenges.

In summary, Your House presents a unique blend of genres that I haven’t encountered elsewhere, and it boasts stunning visuals as well. While storytelling isn’t my forte, some puzzle solutions seemed unconventional. However, if you’re seeking something novel to inject excitement into typical narrative adventures, this game could be the perfect fit.

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2025-03-26 18:18