The Academy: The First Riddle

About

"The Academy: The First Riddle" is a first-person puzzle adventure game set in a mysterious and enchanting academy. As the game's protagonist, players will uncover secrets, solve challenging puzzles, and interact with various characters while exploring the beautiful and intricate environments. With a strong emphasis on storyline and exploration, players will need to use their wits, intuition, and observational skills to progress and ultimately unravel the first riddle of the academy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

The Academy: The First Riddle screenshot

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 548 reviews

story36 positive mentions

monetization64 negative mentions

The game features amazing graphics and an interesting storyline that keeps players engaged.
Puzzles are challenging and require lateral thinking, providing a satisfying experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
The game successfully creates an immersive school environment reminiscent of the Harry Potter series, making exploration enjoyable.

The game is plagued by intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay, even after purchasing the VIP package meant to remove them.
Movement controls are clunky and frustrating, making navigation difficult and detracting from the overall experience.
There are significant bugs and glitches, particularly in later chapters, which can prevent players from progressing in the game.

monetization
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, primarily due to the overwhelming number of ads that disrupt gameplay, even for players who have paid for ad removal or subscribed to services like Play Pass. Many users report that despite purchasing VIP packages intended to eliminate ads, they continue to experience frequent interruptions, leading to frustration and a diminished gaming experience. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as exploitative, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Great game so far, however, I bought the pack for unlimited chocolates, no ads, and to support the developers; however, I still get ads, and now I have negative 21 in chocolates.”
- “Paid for the VIP pass that includes no ads and unlimited chocolate bars.”
- “Great game, I just wish when I paid for no ads I would actually not get any ads.”
- “The biggest downside was the constant ads, really takes away from the plot, puzzles, and game.”
- “I paid £7.99 to get rid of the ads, but I'm still getting them, and would like to get a refund, please.”
- “Paying for an ad-free experience and still having to watch ads is infuriating.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
37%
5%
The game's story is generally praised for its interesting plot and engaging twists, with many players expressing a strong emotional connection to the narrative. However, several reviews highlight significant glitches that disrupt gameplay and hinder progression, particularly in key chapters. While the storyline is often described as captivating, some players feel it lacks the depth needed to compel them to continue with future installments.
- “Such an amazing story, it feels like I am in that game.”
- “The storyline is beyond interesting.”
- “Great story and excellent puzzles.”
- “Okay storyline, but the ads get very intrusive by the end and some of the puzzles are really stupid.”
- “Silly 'story' and puzzles are mostly stolen from those annoying 'only geniuses can solve this' Facebook posts.”
- “Except for the storyline, the game has many glitches.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
28%
6%
Overall, the graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising their beauty, realism, and smoothness. However, some players noted issues such as lag, glitches, and intrusive ads that detracted from the experience. While the graphics are often highlighted as a standout feature, concerns about gameplay interruptions and optimization persist.
- “The graphics are the best I've ever seen!”
- “Beautiful graphics and the puzzles are interesting.”
- “Excellent and beautiful graphics.”
- “Graphics are a little laggy but no complaints :)”
- “Lags a lot and needs better optimizations, and whenever I change the graphics it doesn't affect the game. Fix this now and I'll rate it again to 5 stars, thank you.”
- “The first chapter is like only 10 minutes and free, but the others you need money for it, so the game is absolutely bad because they made it free. If you're not going to pay, don't download a 1 GB game for 10 minutes, so this game is so bad even the graphics aren't that much.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The gameplay experience is mixed, with some users enjoying the visuals and story while others express frustration with controls and stability issues, such as crashes and inconsistent frame rates. Puzzles are noted as excessive, and the monetization model, requiring payment for additional chapters, has drawn criticism. Additionally, the presence of ads has negatively impacted the overall gameplay experience for some players.
- “Love the visuals, love the gameplay, although the puzzles are too much.”
- “Nice gameplay so far; I like the story (main quests) and side quests are great, although I can't say the same about the controls!”
- “I found this game was different in terms of storyline and gameplay structure altogether.”
- “And the walking is frustrating; I could have my finger on the side where the joystick mechanic is going in circles, and instead of going in circles, you just stand there.”
- “The first chapter is free to play, which has about 10 minutes of gameplay, then you have to buy the second chapter.”
- “There is only half an hour of gameplay free, and the rest you have to buy, and it is also very expensive.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its interesting concept and engaging storyline, but it suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that significantly impact stability. Players report game-breaking issues, including freezing and control problems, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential, the game's stability issues need urgent attention to enhance playability.
- “Interesting concept and plot but full of bugs and glitches.”
- “The game is littered with game-breaking bugs and glitches.”
- “Broken game, stops at the logo screen and freezes.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it repetitive and annoying, while others appreciate its quality and pleasantness. Overall, it seems to be a divisive aspect, with a notable split between enjoyment and frustration among users.
- “The music was cool and very nice.”
- “Graphics is best in class; amazing textures and rendering have pleasing music and sound effects.”
- “The graphics are okay, but the music is annoyingly repetitive.”
- “Apart from all that, I love the animation, controls, and graphics; however, the music is annoying and the puzzles need a little tweaking.”
- “Kinda silly, the graphics are good, but the music is annoying.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly noting that the controls on Android contribute to a frustrating experience.
- “The controls are too tedious on Android.”
- “Tedious!”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praise the game's atmosphere as enchanting, highlighting its impressive graphics and overall captivating concept.
- “The concept is great, and the graphics and atmosphere are enchanting.”
- “The atmosphere immerses you completely, making every moment feel alive.”
- “The haunting soundtrack combined with the stunning visuals creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant lag and poor optimization, noting that changes to graphics settings do not impact gameplay performance. Many express frustration and urge for improvements to enhance the overall experience.
- “Lags a lot and needs better optimization. Whenever I change the graphics settings, it doesn't affect the game. Fix this now and I'll rate it 5 stars. Thank you.”
- “The game suffers from severe performance issues and requires significant optimization to run smoothly.”
- “Despite having a powerful PC, the game frequently stutters and lags, indicating poor optimization.”