Eleven Puzzles - "Unsolved Case"

Updated: Apr 24

Photo above is property of Eleven Puzzles

Company: Eleven Puzzles

Game: Parallel Lab

Country: Poland 🇵🇱

Language: English

Type of Game: Video Game 🖱

Genre: Detective, Visual Novel, Cooperative

Date Played: December 8, 2022

Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10

Size of Team: 2 Players (from 2 different devices)

Time: Approximately 45-60 Mins.

Price: Free

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Returning home, Detectives “Old Dog” Steve and Ally find an unexpected delivery. In their offices sit a locked suitcase and a taunting note from an old friend - The Cryptic Killer. Knowing the damage this killer is capable of, Old Dog and Ally quickly team up to end the terror of this perpetrator once and for all.

Video above is property of Eleven Puzzles

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"Unsolved Case" follows the aesthetic and storytelling from Eleven’s earlier counterparts - Cryptic Killer and Parallel Lab. The cut scenes are reminiscent of pulp fiction comics, while the clean lines and solid colors did minimal to distract players from the static scenes, which is a plus in my book.

Despite the stillness of each scene, the clickable puzzles and stages within the game made it easier to focus on the task at hand. This also left little room for straying, especially when it came to matching important puzzle symbols to aspects of each scene.

And this game really is an exercise in cooperation. Like Eleven’s previous games, you would need a minimum of two players with two different devices. The game will not proceed if there is only one device logged into the game. And like an actual investigation, communication is key - players have to choose either Old Dog’s or Ally’s routes, and can only see materials or information through their eyes.

Do note - please ensure that your network is stable while you play this game on Steam. Our gameplay ended up cut short when my teammate got disconnected halfway through the game and we had to start over.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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I thoroughly enjoyed the style of puzzling this game offered. It truly engages all players and keeps you moving through the game together. This is not a divide-and-conquer style kind of game, rather, you need to be in constant communication with your partner(s) as you explore the room. You might have a keypad with periodic table symbols and your partner has a lab note about them or you might have one half a page and they have the other. I found that the puzzles weren't hard - the challenge comes from building communication between your group. I would say this kind of puzzling is excellent for groups looking to truly collaborate.

Photos above are property of Eleven Puzzles

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Overall, "Parallel Lab" has an excellent theme and style that draws on classic retro-style animation and encourages a level of collaboration while still giving each player something to do, which can be hard to navigate in the online realm of puzzling. Eleven Puzzles does it quite seamlessly! This game takes a little longer than the average escape room - our group took about an hour and nine minutes, so you definitely get your money’s worth! The ending suggests more is to come and I am definitely on board to see where Old Dog and Ally’s adventure takes them to next!