Crossroads: Escaping the Dark, in reality, it just follows us.
I bought this game around the time it first came out, so I was able to be one of the first gamers to review it. It’s always cool to be one of the first, though looking back on a lot of reviews is also nice to compare and contrast what others thought of the game.
This one was interesting in itself, considering it combines three “video games” in one.
- Developed by Elephant Ar
- Published by Big Fish Games
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Is there a supporter’s playthrough of this game?
There is no supporter’s playthrough of Crossroads: Escaping the Dark, but if you’re looking for a supporter’s section, our no-censored NSFW videos are available over on our Podia courses.
Who is this game for?
Explanation to Negative Feedback
Puzzles are confusing
I found that some of the puzzles just…didn’t make sense to me. The explanation at the bottom wasn’t enough to get me through them and I either needed to use a hint, if that were at all possible or just…skip altogether.
Game-breaking bugs
First off, during my first playthrough I encountered no bugs whatsoever. It was smooth sailing from start to finish.
On the second playthrough of the main game, continuing even though I’d completed everything, I was unable to move the binoculars anywhere to find where the monkey was. No movement whatsoever. The in-game hint couldn’t even help me because the hint was in an area that was out of sight.
I’m going to assume if I’d just made a new game this wouldn’t have been a problem. But because the game knew I’d already beat that initial level, it was stuck on itself.
The second bug I encountered was the thread in the bonus chapter, I believe. I’d clicked on “reset” more than once and it locked up on me.
Skip doesn’t always skip
After going through the game once, I started it up again just to refresh my memory a bit, and when that lady at the bar spoke, it didn’t matter how many times I pressed that big red skip button, she would not be deterred from her monologue.
Explanation to Positive Feedback
Crossroad of choices
I like the idea that you get different choices in certain scenarios that carries the current game you’re in in a specific direction. So you could choose the wrong choice and just end the game prematurely. Whereas making the right choices will stretch the game you’re in to the very end of things.
Interesting hidden object scenes
Within the bonus section there was a scene that almost felt like it was going to be like some of the ones in Theatre of the Absurd, but it turned out you only had to click on the specific circular scene in order for it to disappear, instead of moving the circle to the area.
Links Worth Checking Out
- Nothing here yet
Gameplay
Achievements
There are in-game achievements that will give you puzzle pieces to use in a bonus area.
Plot
Crossroads is open for business once again, and Mistress Eve is back, serving up guidance as only she can! When a gamer wanders through the door fresh from a therapy session, our mysterious bartender offers a collection of special video games custom-designed to help them learn to overcome an array of phobias and anxieties that have plagued them for years. Make your way through three tales of terrifying horror as you help them cope with their traumatic past and deal with their fears, but be careful because when you’re at Crossroads, your choices matter! Will the troubled traveler learn a life lesson or crack under the pressure? The choice is yours in this reality-warping Hidden-Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Game Length
Around the 3-hour mark if you’re just going through a single playthrough. I did struggle on some areas on not knowing what to do next, so that might’ve upped my time a bit, but not too much. Add a couple more hours if you plan on doing bonus content.
Replay Value
You can play it again to check out the branches you didn’t take before.
Genre(s)
Crossroads: Escaping the Dark Review
This was actually a unique hidden object game for me, because you have the ability to branch off into different paths for different endings on each unique storyline. We’re an unfortunate gamer that’s plagued with a variety of phobias, which you get to choose yourself at the start of the game. Kind of interesting.
Then you go into a crossroads type of building where you’ll be immersed into different video games to help with your fears.
I can’t say something like this would ever help me, since I hate horror games, and I normally just stop playing them before they get too far into the action.
The game was relatively short compared to a lot of other HoGs I’ve played. It was also pretty straight-forward in the main section of the game, with its puzzles and scenes. The only time they really started throwing me was in the bonus section. Those puzzles made absolutely no sense half the time and I ended up having to skip them or look at the guide (within the Collector’s Edition).
Honestly, I don’t have much to say on it.
It wasn’t a fantastic HoG, but it also wasn’t bad. As I said, I do like the fact that there are branching decisions that can affect the outcome in different scenarios, and I also like that there are three separate “games” to play within the game.
