The Cryptologist Room (2021)

Developer: Yorick Postema
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure, Strategy
Rating: 2.1 of 5, 7 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 52 minutes
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

a mentally taxing and solitary puzzle-box experience where every locked door requires sharp real-world knowledge and no hints are given.

challengingpuzzleescape roomfirst-personcolorfulmysteriousreal-world knowledgetime-pressured

What players say

Players are divided on the puzzles: some find them satisfyingly difficult, others call them unfair because they rely on extremely obscure Lord of the Rings knowledge with no clear direction. Many mention clunky controls and noticeable spelling errors.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.