Run, Hide, Die, Escape, Die, Repeat…
Initial release date: 15 November 2022
Developers: NOX NOCTIS, Quasar Dynamics
Genres: Adventure game, Puzzle Video Game
Publishers: Perpetual Europe, Gammera Nest S.L., Perp Games
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Do Not Open is a survival horror game based on puzzle escape rooms and run-and-hide elements. You play Mike, a man with a strange family member Aunt Judith who is far too intrusive into his family matters. She informs you of her mansions inheritance and is concerned about his relationship with his daughter. After the cut scenes, you awake in a basement. Someone talks to you that something is coming. That someone turns out to be your daughter: so many mysteries and questions but so little time. The basement section sets to story and tone of the game. After reading a few notes, you learn you must find your wife and daughter within the mansion’s walls.
The game is from a first-person perspective, like most survival horror games these days. The graphics are very high quality, and this is a game I would like to try on the new PS5 Vr headset coming next year if it is supported. The mansion design, objects and textures did impress me, considering the price. The sound and atmosphere were what we have come to expect from these types of run-and-hide games. The ambience is silent and creepy. The monsters sound terrifying, especially when hiding from them in the tense moments of the game.
The game is centred around the escape room idea, which was significantly different for me as I’ve never done an escape room before or played a game like it. So this is a fresh perspective from someone relatively new to this concept. Guess what? I hated every second of it. For all the 90s gamers out there, remember the underwater levels in Tomb Raider and how intense and horrible they were. The escape room parts of this game, which is like 90% of it, are just all that.
You collect documents to piece together what is going on around this mansion. Newspapers, Notes, photos and magazines are scattered around. It does make up for an intriguing story. I won’t spoil it, but it develops well despite the premise. It’s worth pushing through to see how the game’s story unfolds. The game isn’t very long, depending on how good you are at puzzle solving or just lucky.
Right then, let us get down to the core elements of the game, the escape rooms and the puzzles themselves. You have a set amount of time per room to figure it out. I won’t spoil any puzzles here. I want you to experience the pain, I mean the fun I went through. You die and die, It is all trial and error, and it gets old very fast. Having these segments in survival games is a good experience, like in Resident Evil 7 and 8. An entire game based on this is not something that works for me.
This game could be fun with friends or family, especially around the spooky season. Playing alone, the novelty wore off fast. Two things I dislike in games are being timed unless I’m speedrunning a game and run-and-hide games. The game is just entirely that. I will add this isn’t a full-price game. It is around £25 in the store, so I will give credit where credit is due. The graphics are very impressive, and the story develops nicely and involves many mysteries. As with all my reviews, I always consider the price and the development of the game into account.