Fireproof Games have been doing The Room series of titles with intricate mechanical puzzles and Lovecraftian horror theme for almost a decade now. Always focusing on mobile version first and then rebuilding the title for PCs, with the biggest exception being the VR-only entry A Dark Matter released last year. Old Sins, the fourth entry in the series, is no exception as it has originally been released on iOS and Android devices back in 2018, only now having arrived to PCs. And, as usual, it’s a terrific port for a fantastic puzzle game.
Old Sins is, in some ways, a welcome step back from the rather complex structure of the previous title. Where The Room Three had interconnected locations with free movement between them, several endings, including secret ones, Old Sins works far closer to how the very first game used to. All of the events in the game happen in several rooms that you will occasionally be able to explore slightly “out of order”, yet all accessible from one doll house. It provides just enough fun variation and different puzzles, while keeping everything as compact as it needs to be. This way you focus far more on the important stuff – the puzzles, rather than navigation.
The horror aspect is also still here, as the events of the game are still happening in the same universe with the same “lore” as the other entries. And, as with the other entries, the story isn’t as much “interesting” as it is serviceable, setting the right mood. It’s the fun puzzles, the complex unfolding puzzle boxes and impossible visuals that has always been the appeal in the series. And the fourth entry delivers as well as you’d expect. It probably is more fun with a touch screen, but playing the games on PC with the mouse, at least to me, still feels fun.
I really enjoyed playing it and it’s probably my second favorite entry in the series so far after Three. And even there, I actually prefer the compactness and lots of the puzzles in this game over the one found in the previous entry. If you like puzzle games and have never played The Room games, this could be a wonderful starting point. Definitely check it out.