The Palace of Unrest

About

The Palace of Unrest is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Red Wolf Productions and was released on January 18, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Use poems to solve puzzles and escape the mansion with your life in this horror themed escape room game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and atmospheric sound design, enhancing the horror experience.
The use of poem excerpts as clues adds a unique literary depth to the puzzles, making them feel integral to the narrative.
It's a short, free game that provides a fun and quick escape room experience, making it accessible for players of all skill levels.

The AI of the knight is poorly designed, making it easy to evade and reducing the overall tension of the game.
The game lacks clear direction and guidance, leading to confusion about objectives and puzzle solutions.
Performance issues and bugs detract from the experience, with reports of lag and unresponsive interactions.

graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers noting the detailed environments and effective use of weather effects. However, some players experienced performance issues, such as lag and unresponsive graphics settings, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the visuals are often described as impressive and well-executed, contributing positively to the game's tension and immersion.
- “Time for an honest review, first thing I will get out of the way is the graphics, they are beautiful and the atmosphere left me feeling tense at first, the jumpscare with the knight coming alive was good.”
- “Very good graphics, controls are solid, the monster is avoidable, the puzzles are not too difficult nor too easy, and any player with average skill should be able to complete the game.”
- “The music keeps you on your toes and the art style is really nice and creepy.”
- “Way too laggy for my computer, and even when I tried lowering the graphics, it reset itself to high every time.”
- “- The graphics settings seem to affect nothing at all.”
- “Graphics were quirky for my version of the game, but all in all, they look good.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
The game's story is widely criticized for being virtually nonexistent, leaving players without a clear narrative or motivation to progress. Many reviewers express a desire for more depth and direction, suggesting that the game feels bare-bones and lacks engaging storytelling elements. While some acknowledge the potential of the game, they emphasize the need for a more developed plot and clearer guidance for players.
- “Would love to see some story added, and something to make the game longer.”
- “The developers seem to be quite good in designing and creating a game world but could be helped by a scriptwriter or someone knowledgeable in game design (meaning how to guide the player, how storytelling works, etc.).”
- “Storywise not much is told as in who we are or why we arrived at our location.”
- “The game had no real story, no real reason to push forward, and I feel the entire game was based around the 'press F to pay respect' meme.”
- “If you want to waste your time, it's the best game you can find, but I should warn you it's not a game you can connect with the story because there is no story in this game.”
- “It is an interesting project, though it is completely bare-bones and lacks any depth or story.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its haunting mansion setting, effectively creating a sense of isolation and danger that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics, well-crafted textures, and the tension generated by the eerie ambiance, although some note that the lack of clarity in objectives detracts from the immersion. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's creepy and thrilling vibe.
- “Set within a haunting mansion, the game successfully blends mystery and atmosphere, making the player feel the eerie weight of isolation and danger.”
- “It's clear that a lot of care went into building the atmosphere, which makes exploring the dark corners of the mansion as thrilling as it is unnerving.”
- “A spooky little atmospheric gem!”
- “The effort put into crafting the puzzles and atmosphere is commendable, and while I wish the execution were a bit more polished, I appreciate the developer's work.”
- “The atmosphere and presentation of the game is much better than expected, but it is not helped by the complete absence of rhyme or reason as to why you are there, what you have to do, and where the puzzles might be.”
- “Def added to the creepy atmosphere.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some users feeling that more focus was placed on the game's visuals rather than its mechanics, resulting in a lackluster experience. Players noted a challenging start followed by a significantly easier gameplay phase, and overall, the absence of a compelling story detracted from the enjoyment.
- “Hard start, easy gameplay afterwards.”
- “Full gameplay.”
- “Please click the link above to check out my (no commentary) gameplay.”
- “It kind of seems like too much time went into the appearance of the game and not the gameplay itself.”
- “There is no story and the gameplay is terrible.”
- “The game has a hard start, but the gameplay becomes easy afterwards.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting poor performance and sluggishness, particularly at higher graphics settings. While some users experienced acceptable frame rates on low settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires better optimization to enhance gameplay and performance. Additionally, certain design elements, such as enemy behavior, have been noted as problematic, further detracting from the experience.
- “I had fine FPS at low graphics, so performance must be fine.”
- “Also, this game is ridiculously poorly optimized.”
- “I'm sure the devs are already aware of this, but the game could be optimized better.”
- “It has bad performance; it's sluggish, and finding some of the keys can be a chore.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is engaging and adds to the overall atmosphere, complementing the game's nice and creepy art style.
- “The music keeps you on your toes and the art style is really nice and creepy.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
100%
Players feel that the game's replayability could be significantly enhanced if the knight presented a more challenging and evasive threat, suggesting that increased difficulty would encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “I believe the game would be more replayable if the knight was genuinely difficult to evade.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the different strategies I can try.”
- “I also think this would make the game more replayable if the knight was genuinely difficult to evade.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the humor in the game to be notable, particularly highlighted by amusing details like the empty car upon arrival, which sparks ongoing laughter and adds a lighthearted tone to the experience.
- “The first thing I noticed in the game is that the car you arrive in is empty (no driver or passengers), and I kept thinking and laughing about it throughout the game.”
- “The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me chuckling from start to finish.”
- “I love how the game uses humor to lighten the mood, making even the most serious moments feel fun and engaging.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a positive attitude towards grinding, encouraging others to continue their efforts in the game.