Unlock! – Squeek & Sausage

We were very generously given Unlock! Escape Adventures for Christmas by my brother. I’ve seen lots of reviews of the Unlock! games and knew that they were card based games. One thing to note to start is that more recent versions of the games use an app, whereas when the games were originally released everything was on the cards. If you do get stuck and turn to the internet to explain puzzles this can be confusing.

Unlock! rate Squeek & Sausage as 2/3 difficulty. The combination of using cards and in putting codes and using ‘machines’ in the app is clever. The app also gives you the countdown, and allows you to access hints. There are penalties in the unlock games, you can draw penalty cards and get penalties for inputting incorrect codes and using machines incorrectly.

Blasted Professor Noside! Once again, your old enemy has stirred up an evil plan, but you have courageously slipped into his headquarters to prevent it. While you wander in the corridors of this old shack, a trap door opens beneath your feet and you fall into a dark and damp dungeon. Your screams will not help you: you’re prisoners of the professor. The world is lost forever… Unless you get out of here and sabotage the plans of Noside. You are our last hope. 

One thing I really like about the unlock games is the artwork! Visually the games look great, which is important for a card based game. I do like the way that this game works. You need to be very observant with these games, I feel like I say that a lot, but there are a lots of ‘hidden cards’ you are allowed to take within the games but they aren’t obvious, so pay close attention otherwise you could get stuck (the app does let you get hints about the hidden cards).

We enjoyed the more whimsical story with Squeek & Sausage. The game does a good job of being balancing being linear with having lots of things to do. You may pick up elements early in the game you need to hold onto until later to actually be able to use. It does a good job of moving you between areas as part of the game. There are some bits which we found a bit amusing as well.

We completed the game in 38:50 using 2 hints that 38:50 includes 6 minutes for penalty cards (3 minutes each which feels a bit harsh!) and an incorrect code (2 minute penalty). Scoring 4/5 stars according to the app scoring system.

Overall 3.5/5

Difficulty 3/5

Atmosphere 2.5/5

Variety 3.5/5