49 Keys Reviews

Interesting interactive novel about a man of the clergy and his experience with supernatural; puzzles are ok but the hints system is a bit off (either obvious hint or spoiling the whole puzzle solution). The story itself is intriguing enough to keep you engaged but, sadly, not enough to warrant another play-through to see other endings. The art style and the atmosphere are stellar and are enough to warrant at play.

Fun stuff, full of weird imagery of incomprehensible creatures, arcane manuscripts and stinky alchemy. Mostly simple puzzles but the couple of more tricky head scratchers are helped with in game notes for reference. I did make notes on paper also to help me out. A short and fairly simple game to play through, but full of atmosphere and bonkers scenarios. The book framing works well and is very pretty to look at. I am intrigued by the scoring system after playing through to the credits, and any ways you can maybe effect the outcome? The achievements seem to imply there are more secrets to find

Gorgeous game book with impeccable ambiance. The art, music, and writing are all tight. I was engaged with the story throughout, which was complemented well by the puzzles and investigation aspect of the game. As of this writing, I have played through 3 of 4 possible endings. I will be playing again, as I want to unlock the achievement wherein one uncovers all the secrets of the 49 Keys. I don't think there's a more succinct endorsement of a game book than that.

A unique game. I recommend it, but only to people who love reading in games more than actually playing. It is a "puzzle", but really what you do is read wonderful medieval-styled text which leaves you wanting more of it. Then you finish reading, the games gives you an achievement, and you're sitting there thinking "Huh? That's it, that's the game?". For reference - it took me 7 hours to "beat" the game. This is 95% reading and 5% actually doing something.

Really surpassed my expectations for a game which had hardly any reviews at the time of buying. Great concept, skilfully executed. Text-based games live and die by the quality of their writing and this one is excellent. I was trying to pin down what makes the game feel so immersive: it is that everything, from narration to puzzles, from the narrator's choices and logic to the unsettling beings he encounters, [i]everything[/i] is in service to its setting. You could not plonk the game into the 21st century, restyle the text with modern vocabulary and call it a day. It's lovecraftian horror [i]for a 16th century Italian friar[/i]. The puzzles are satisfying and different - the focus on narrative makes it feel like a good puzzle book, rather than a game. And of course it does - it's an adaptation of a gamebook! (I did get stuck in the second area, but I think I could have got it without hints if not for sheer laziness. Third and final area is terrific.) Feels really different from what I've seen any other game attempt both mechanically and thematically. Almost like a classic text adventure, bedazzled and less annoying. Visuals are good, and the occasional illustrations are weird and faintly horrible. I want to rub my face on them like a cat. Some (minor) cons: - Multiple endings are enjoyable - though it would be nice to be able to load an earlier save rather than replaying the entire game. (For comparison, "The Room 3", another puzzle game with multiple endings, lets you reload right before the point of divergence so you can replay only the puzzles that result in each new ending.) And bLEASE, for the love of god, let us skip the credits. - The hint system goes from "vague hint you already knew" to "the actual answer" with no middle ground. Other than that, short and sweet and evocative as hell. (haha. hell)

I've never cared much about writing reviews for games, but this game really deserves one. At first I was a bit skeptical, but the setting — early 16th century in Italy — caught my attention since I'm Italian, and the "Lovecraftian" tag did the rest as I’m a fan of that author. I was immediately mesmerized by the game’s visual style: both the UI design and the illustrations (especially those by Fabio Porfidia, who also made the illustrations for The Lord of the Rings). Then came the story. Being able to play the game in Italian (I usually prefer to play games in English, as I often dislike the translations and voiceover) allowed me to immerse myself even more in the world and the story. Every puzzle I encountered was well thought-out and never felt like "moon logic" — I used the in-game hints twice to solve a couple of puzzles, but when I read the answer I facepalmed myself because I could have totally figured it out with just a little more effort. The story kept me wondering about the secret behind the Master and what the main character would uncover as he progressed. I also loved the fact that everything related to the occult didn't went full “Dungeons & Dragons” but instead stayed grounded in real-life/period-appropriate occult knowledge — everything is connected to real astrology, astronomy, plants, and stones/metals. By the time I reached the end, I wanted to start another playthrough to see the other three outcomes, but I think I’ll take a short break just to savor what I went through during my first run. A huge thanks to the developers and everyone involved in this project, because we REALLY need more games like this one!