THE OFFICE QUEST Review for PC

Out of Deemedya Inc comes the Puzzle/Adventure game, The Office Quest, by developer 11Sheep. Using the limited dynamics and linearity of a point and click adventure to tell a relatable narrative, The Office Quest balances artful aesthetics and representative storytelling in a thoughtful and intriguing way.

Almost everyone recognizes the inescapable monotony or the overbearing boss that accompanies a 9-5 office job and, given the chance, would do anything to escape. Well now you have that chance! Reflecting the complexity and often prison-like atmosphere of the modern office, The Office Quest presents a series of challenges, puzzles and visual humor that, much like the meaningless tasks that may be presented to you at work, are the only things standing between you and your freedom.  

If you’ve played other Indie Adventure games like Maize or Stories Untold, the mechanics of The Office Quest will be pretty familiar to you. Rather than one continuous game space, your character will move between scenes by exiting stage left or right, followed by hard cuts to another room in the office. While movement is  limited to the x-axis, the game is very much presented in an interactive, 3-dimensional way.

Outside of getting around the office, there will be a multitude of coworkers, items, and clues that you will have to examine as you navigate your way to freedom. As you interact with the people, objects and the gamespace, certain game items will also be added to your inventory and will need to be summoned in later stages of the game in order to complete tasks.  Although select clues and items will be instrumental in your escape, your most important tool to completing this game will undoubtedly be your creativity and willpower.

Overview

As someone that grew up playing text adventures like Zork or The Baron and puzzle games like Portal, I found The Office Quest to be, overall, a delightful experience.  Some standout features include the sleek design, intuitive controls, and timely comedic relief.  My favorite part of the game; however, has to be the undeniably enticing sound design, which adds to the game’s presence in a way that, when done well, almost always goes unnoticed.  

None of the puzzles themselves are overly taxing on their own, but this game is no slouch either and, at some point, you will inevitably find yourself in a seemingly endless loop, tempted to Google a helpful hint.  But if you keep your head down, keep exploring and keep an open mind, the answers (and your freedom) are always out there.

The Office Quest, like any good adventure game, will leave you desperately struggling to get past the next puzzle, but the helpful clues, dry humor and curious characters will keep you coming back for more, maybe even making you question why you want to leave the office at all.  As Deemedya Inc points out, not all heroes wear capes, some wear fluffy onesies.

Rating: 7.7/10

Here is The Office Quest Steam Trailer:

The Office Quest releases today for PC via Steam on May 24, 2018 for $8.99 / €8,99.