App Army Assemble: Atomic Escape - "Should you try and solve this game's space travel conspiracy?"

• This week, we handed Atomic Escape over to our App Army community
• The retro space-age aesthetic was a hit with our readers
• It's a short game, which can be good or bad depending on your preferences

Atomic Escape is a point-and-click adventure that tasks you with solving a big old conspiracy surrounding a secret space travel project. Now, we've all played these types of games. That means scurrying around some fancy building while solving puzzles. It's a fun formula, but does this new entry in the genre do anything to stand out? We sent in our App Army to find out.

Here's what they said:

Mark Abukoff

I really like the look of this puzzler, from the colours to the retro space-age vibe. The story, while short, is interesting. My only problem (and admittedly, I’m not always great at these point-and-click puzzlers), was that after a great deal of wandering from room to room right at the start, even with the few hints you start off with, I ended up going to a YouTube video to start progressing. And that’s always a red flag for me. I did eventually start to make progress and enjoyed the game, but the initial frustration put me off the game for a while. If you’re good at these or don’t mind finding help online, you’ll probably like it for its presentation and story.

Robert Maines

Atomic Escape is a fun point-and-click puzzle adventure. You are invited to a house for a job interview and the door locks behind you, you have to figure out how to escape and find out who invited you and why. From a first-person perspective, you must move around the house, examining objects and notes to solve puzzles to open up more areas of the house. Thankfully the UI offers hints and keeps track of information found.
The game plays a bit like Myst in the way you jump between rooms. The graphics and sound are well done. If you like these sorts of games this one is highly recommended.

Bruno Ramalho

This is a point-and-click/escape room kind of game that reminded me of Agent A for its 50s-looking setting and its overall graphics. At first, I was scared because I started clicking everywhere to try and find clues and I thought to myself, "Oh it's gonna be one of those games", and they promised it wouldn't be. But suddenly everything started to click and there I was rushing along from room to room, from clue to clue, trying to unveil all the mysteries.

There's a simple hint system, and the useful computer on the right side of the screen keeps "notes" of everything we find out, which is quite useful for solving all the puzzles. It's a short game, but I had fun solving everything. If you like escape room games, this one is for you, or even if you've never tried one before, it's a great way to start.

Jojó Reis

Atomic Escape is a puzzle game with point-and-click gameplay. In the game, you have to solve several puzzles and decipher codes. The game is very simple to play and I found it super fun. The game runs well and was well made for mobile phones, the gameplay works super well and has beautiful graphics. I would say that this game is great for spending time as every cell phone game should be. Atomic is fun, well done and addictive and is very worth the purchase if you like to solve puzzles

Jason Rosner

Atomic Escape is a point-and-click puzzle-focused game done in a traditional first-person view. I adored the sharp, 3D-style, beautifully rendered colourful graphics that fit the tone perfectly for a futuristic 50’s vibe that makes you feel like you are playing in a TV sitcom. While I love trying out all types of games, I found myself running into some real challenges while paying Atomic Escape.

The game’s very well made, and fans of the genre will be sure to enjoy the adventure that awaits them. For rookies like me, you’ll need some patience and perseverance, and you’ll need to tap into the hint systems present throughout, which includes access to an onscreen computer that contains useful information along with tips at the top of your screen that will point you in the right direction.

Edem Dzodzomenyo

Atomic Escape is a game which would most likely fall into the puzzle genre. The game is set in the late 1950s and has somewhat of a "space race" type of feel to it. The are diverse levels of puzzles from easy to very challenging. Sometimes, you need to have a keen eye for details when scanning around a room for clues. The ambience and the presentation of the various rooms are rich. There are also some hints provided which tend to make the game manageable for players. The game is a good one and recommended to fans of this genre.

Torbjörn Kämblad

Atomic Escape is an escape room kind of game. It is really similar to Agent A which I think is a classic in the genre. It is hard not to compare the games when it comes to presentation, story and game mechanics.
The puzzles range from simple to complex. The game has a hint system and collects most clues for you to review.

I completed the game in about an hour and had quite a fun time doing so. There is no replayability though, and once the game has been completed there is little left to do. If you have played and enjoyed Agent A this game is still easy to recommend.

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