This game seemed to have everything I wanted. It had a nice premise, the game looked good in screenshots, it seemed like it would have a spooky atmosphere but not outright be horror. And for about half the game, things were fine. But then problems began to pile up.

Some of the issues are almost certainly some kind of translation error or editing errors. The (seemingly) east wing key is labeled the west wing key. The sword key is actually for the coat of arms doors. Some of the puzzles are written in a way which makes it almost impossible to get the correct answer from the information given. No matter how many times my friend and I read the mask puzzle clues, we could not really come up with the solution that ended up being correct because they just didn't fit.

Other issues involve some pixel-hunting where it's not immediately obvious that there is a necessary item available. In one puzzle later in the game, upon solving it you immediately get handed an item. Your inventory opens and you see it there. What isn't noticeable is that there is a key that you have to pick up that is *also* now available from the puzzle location.

The good news to some of these issues is that there is a hint system and it can be more useful than other games with such a system. The other good news is that if you run into a puzzle or lock (aside from locked doors), the game will keep track of it on the map. The bad news is that the hint system doesn't tell you the answers to the puzzles, it only tells you where you should go next and (to some extent) what you should have in order to do the next thing to progress. If you're stuck on a puzzle, it will never tell you what the answer is. Just that you need to do that puzzle.

The game didn't need a *lot* more to be good, but it did need more. It needed more playtesting and adjustments to the writing so that puzzles are doable with the information at hand. It needed to make usable objects somewhat more visually distinct. It needed a "damn the torpedoes" skip-the-puzzle option. As it is, it's so close to being recommended, but I can't honestly do so.