Doors Paradox is a casual puzzle game, where the objective is to escape through a locked door by finding items located around the 3D diorama and using them to your advantage. Solve mini puzzles, push, pull and twist objects to reveal hidden items, and observe the scenery for clues.

Follow IndieGems for more reviews.

Doors Paradox is a fun game, but it may not challenge those looking for a difficult puzzle game. That’s not to say I didn’t get stuck a few times trying to solve puzzles, as they don’t come with any objectives or instructions, so that can prove problematic, but I didn’t have much trouble working out where objects had to be placed. On the rare occasion you might get stuck, there is a hint button, which pin points exactly where you should be concentrating your efforts, and even a skip puzzle, if a puzzle is proving too difficult.

When you use these options is completely up to you, making the game as stress free as you like. If you want to scratch your head and think about things, you can do so, but if you feel frustrated, you can just move on. This makes it a very casual affair, and the soundtracks and imaginative locales reinforce the chill factor.

https://youtu.be/uMf-FKXoToA

If you’ve played games like “Cats in Time” or to a lesser extent the “Da Vinci” series, then you’ll know what to expect. Presented with a 3D diorama of a scene, spin around it looking for items to pick up, or look for places that may be manipulated, like opening shutters or pulling, pushing, or twisting things. Areas are always very small, and any points of interest can be zoomed into to investigate.

Once picked up, items appear in your inventory, and you have to search the area for places where you think the item may fit. For example, the item could be a spanner, to unscrew a bolt, or a hammer to knock a nail in. You will need to use your judgement how that item may be used. Some items are more obvious and their shape fits into a crevice or on a puzzle, usually initializing a mini puzzle.

Solving puzzles, or using items successfully, usually results in receiving another item, until eventually the item you do receive is the one needed to open the door and escape to the next level.

In each scene there is a scroll and two gems to be found. One gem relates to chaos, and one gem relates to order. Collect all of the gems on each level to unlock special levels relating to these states of mind. Unravelling the scroll reveals a very brief proverb or a commentary on the state of the human psyche, or the direction the human race is travelling.

There are three chapters, with a total of fifty-two levels and the six bonus levels.

It took me around ten hours to complete everything to one hundred percent.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893513128

Things start off pretty basic, acting like a tutorial, and the first chapter is the least imaginative and least difficult of the three. It probably outstays its welcome on this front, as I was waiting for things to get more complicated, or involved, but it never quite happened. I got a slight feeling that it all felt a bit too similar, but nonetheless it was still enjoyable.

The second chapter ramps up slightly in difficulty and the environments are much more imaginative. My favourite dioramas were the interactive ones, creating consequences for your actions, or producing nice special effects. These seemed to be more prevalent in chapter three, and I found myself leaving chapter two to indulge in the visual feasts on offer elsewhere.

I still would have liked to have seen more in the special effects department though. There were some memorable dioramas with explosions, and entertaining outcomes to puzzle solutions, but the bar didn’t remain high for the whole experience. I think that is something they could improve on in their next effort. Go big, bold, and more interactive!

Each level had its own distinctive theme, like futuristic, Aztec, tribal, and even light horror themes! This helps to distinguish between levels and keep things fresh. Some of them were impressible and very creative. Considering that the game is very similar in design throughout, the game does a good job of keeping your interest, although I did find that I tended to play in regular short bursts, to keep it even fresher.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2894287896

I would describe the puzzles as manageable in most circumstances. Some were easy, some were moderate, and some were very difficult, or difficult to understand the concept. I did have to skip a couple of puzzles, but it doesn’t necessarily affect gameplay, unless there is an achievement associated with it, as sometimes there is.

Most of the time, I had to think about things, and there was some trial and error, so I was satisfied in the main with the difficulty of the puzzles. After all, I think this is meant to be designed as a casual experience, rather than a challenging test.

There were a couple of design flaws which hindered progress, but once you encounter these, and understand them, then you can bypass them with a little care. For example, sometimes, you are certain that you know the solution to a particular facet but it just isn’t behaving as you would expect. Why is that spanner not loosening the screw? It’s because you are not fully zoomed in enough! You need to zoom in further before the mechanics work. I also had problems with a couple of puzzles due to my unusual resolution and widescreen. I had to reduce the size of the screen for the puzzle to work properly.

Some puzzles will require a pen and paper to note down symbols, numbers or descriptions of some sort, as the solution will be on one side of the scene, and the puzzle on the other, so unless you have a very good memory, you’ll need to jot it down.

The other thing I didn’t like was that there is no recording of how many jewels or scrolls you have collected so far, and if you forget, you may well end up looking for something you already have. Also, if you open the door to exit the level, you then cannot search the area for the jewels or scroll, which was a little annoying having to start the level again to attain them.

It’s not a story as such, but rather a bizarre and fragmented commentary on humans' greedy, foolhardy and rash nature as a species. It also refers to decisions made in your life that you may have regretted or key pivotal moments. I guess it is all to do with the themes of chaos and order, which ties into the bonus sections, but it’s a little odd, and doesn’t flow very well. I think it is more of a gimmick than any serious attempt at providing a narrative.

Doors Paradox is a colourful, imaginative, and entertaining game, that will keep casual puzzle lovers busy for a while. It has a very relaxed feel, and is perfect to unwind and experience the different themes, whilst listening to the jaunty soundtrack and special effects.

I would have liked to have seen more of the ambition demonstrated by some of the levels, with some wonderful special effects and creative outcomes, as some dioramas felt a bit flat in comparison.

Overall, it’s a very nice game. Perhaps a decent story tying it together would elevate it even further.

Check out my curator Indie Blast!

[h1]Enjoyable puzzle game, which isn’t too much of a challenge, but manages to seem varied and interesting considering its format doesn’t change much.[/h1] Doors Paradox is a casual puzzle game, where the objective is to escape through a locked door by finding items located around the 3D diorama and using them to your advantage. Solve mini puzzles, push, pull and twist objects to reveal hidden items, and observe the scenery for clues. [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews. [/quote] [h1]🤔Overall Impressions🤔[/h1] [quote][h2][b]Doors Paradox is a fun game, but it may not challenge those looking for a difficult puzzle game. That’s not to say I didn’t get stuck a few times trying to solve puzzles, as they don’t come with any objectives or instructions, so that can prove problematic, but I didn’t have much trouble working out where objects had to be placed. On the rare occasion you might get stuck, there is a hint button, which pin points exactly where you should be concentrating your efforts, and even a skip puzzle, if a puzzle is proving too difficult. When you use these options is completely up to you, making the game as stress free as you like. If you want to scratch your head and think about things, you can do so, but if you feel frustrated, you can just move on. This makes it a very casual affair, and the soundtracks and imaginative locales reinforce the chill factor. [/b][/h2][/quote] [h1]🎬VIDEO REVIEW🎬[/h1] https://youtu.be/uMf-FKXoToA [h2]🕹️Gameplay🕹️[/h2] If you’ve played games like “Cats in Time” or to a lesser extent the “Da Vinci” series, then you’ll know what to expect. Presented with a 3D diorama of a scene, spin around it looking for items to pick up, or look for places that may be manipulated, like opening shutters or pulling, pushing, or twisting things. Areas are always very small, and any points of interest can be zoomed into to investigate. Once picked up, items appear in your inventory, and you have to search the area for places where you think the item may fit. For example, the item could be a spanner, to unscrew a bolt, or a hammer to knock a nail in. You will need to use your judgement how that item may be used. Some items are more obvious and their shape fits into a crevice or on a puzzle, usually initializing a mini puzzle. Solving puzzles, or using items successfully, usually results in receiving another item, until eventually the item you do receive is the one needed to open the door and escape to the next level. In each scene there is a scroll and two gems to be found. One gem relates to chaos, and one gem relates to order. Collect all of the gems on each level to unlock special levels relating to these states of mind. Unravelling the scroll reveals a very brief proverb or a commentary on the state of the human psyche, or the direction the human race is travelling. There are three chapters, with a total of fifty-two levels and the six bonus levels. It took me around ten hours to complete everything to one hundred percent. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893513128 [h2] Dioramas [/h2] Things start off pretty basic, acting like a tutorial, and the first chapter is the least imaginative and least difficult of the three. It probably outstays its welcome on this front, as I was waiting for things to get more complicated, or involved, but it never quite happened. I got a slight feeling that it all felt a bit too similar, but nonetheless it was still enjoyable. The second chapter ramps up slightly in difficulty and the environments are much more imaginative. My favourite dioramas were the interactive ones, creating consequences for your actions, or producing nice special effects. These seemed to be more prevalent in chapter three, and I found myself leaving chapter two to indulge in the visual feasts on offer elsewhere. I still would have liked to have seen more in the special effects department though. There were some memorable dioramas with explosions, and entertaining outcomes to puzzle solutions, but the bar didn’t remain high for the whole experience. I think that is something they could improve on in their next effort. Go big, bold, and more interactive! Each level had its own distinctive theme, like futuristic, Aztec, tribal, and even light horror themes! This helps to distinguish between levels and keep things fresh. Some of them were impressible and very creative. Considering that the game is very similar in design throughout, the game does a good job of keeping your interest, although I did find that I tended to play in regular short bursts, to keep it even fresher. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2894287896 [h2]🧩Puzzles🧩 [/h2] I would describe the puzzles as manageable in most circumstances. Some were easy, some were moderate, and some were very difficult, or difficult to understand the concept. I did have to skip a couple of puzzles, but it doesn’t necessarily affect gameplay, unless there is an achievement associated with it, as sometimes there is. Most of the time, I had to think about things, and there was some trial and error, so I was satisfied in the main with the difficulty of the puzzles. After all, I think this is meant to be designed as a casual experience, rather than a challenging test. There were a couple of design flaws which hindered progress, but once you encounter these, and understand them, then you can bypass them with a little care. For example, sometimes, you are certain that you know the solution to a particular facet but it just isn’t behaving as you would expect. Why is that spanner not loosening the screw? It’s because you are not fully zoomed in enough! You need to zoom in further before the mechanics work. I also had problems with a couple of puzzles due to my unusual resolution and widescreen. I had to reduce the size of the screen for the puzzle to work properly. Some puzzles will require a pen and paper to note down symbols, numbers or descriptions of some sort, as the solution will be on one side of the scene, and the puzzle on the other, so unless you have a very good memory, you’ll need to jot it down. The other thing I didn’t like was that there is no recording of how many jewels or scrolls you have collected so far, and if you forget, you may well end up looking for something you already have. Also, if you open the door to exit the level, you then cannot search the area for the jewels or scroll, which was a little annoying having to start the level again to attain them. [h2] 📕 Story📕[/h2] It’s not a story as such, but rather a bizarre and fragmented commentary on humans' greedy, foolhardy and rash nature as a species. It also refers to decisions made in your life that you may have regretted or key pivotal moments. I guess it is all to do with the themes of chaos and order, which ties into the bonus sections, but it’s a little odd, and doesn’t flow very well. I think it is more of a gimmick than any serious attempt at providing a narrative. [h1]🍳Conclusion🍳[/h1] [quote][h2][b] [i]Doors Paradox[/i] is a colourful, imaginative, and entertaining game, that will keep casual puzzle lovers busy for a while. It has a very relaxed feel, and is perfect to unwind and experience the different themes, whilst listening to the jaunty soundtrack and special effects. I would have liked to have seen more of the ambition demonstrated by some of the levels, with some wonderful special effects and creative outcomes, as some dioramas felt a bit flat in comparison. Overall, it’s a very nice game. Perhaps a decent story tying it together would elevate it even further.[/b][/h2][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41039956/]Check out my curator Indie Blast! [/url][/quote]