An FMV Escape Room Inspired By SAW
I may be in the minority, but I have never taken part in a real-life escape room. But in the gaming world, I have been in many. Some would say the UK TV show The Crystal Maze first spawned the idea of escape rooms. Then, of course, the popular SAW film franchise created the ultimate escape room, where the phrase “I want to play a game” took on a whole new meaning, and losing could mean a terrible death.
N.E.R.D. definitely leans more towards the SAW end of the spectrum. Here, we are thrown into a deadly series of escape rooms where you need your wits about you and your puzzle-solving skills at their very best.
This is another addition to the great library of FMV games that have arrived on Xbox over the last ten years or so. I am a big fan of the genre and love seeing what developers and filmmakers can do, all as they experiment with multiple ideas. Some FMV games are accused of being too binary in their gameplay, so I was curious to see what N.E.R.D. had to offer.
A Familiar Thriller With Plenty Of Mystery
Forever Entertainment is the Polish developer behind the game, and it launches straight into the action without even showing any menus as it loads. You begin by heading out for dinner with your partner, although you’re running late. She is suddenly kidnapped, and you are knocked unconscious. You wake up in a basement surrounded by a series of strange objects. A masked villain appears on a video screen and tells you that you must solve several puzzles if you want to escape alive and find your partner. As the story unfolds between the puzzles, more of the mystery is revealed, and you begin to realise that your capture may be far more personal than you first imagined.
The story gripped me from the beginning because of how quickly it throws you into the action without much preamble. And yes, it most definitely owes a lot to SAW, but I didn’t really mind that. I also enjoyed the twists and turns as the game progressed. That said, I think the real heart of the experience lies in the escape room puzzles rather than the narrative itself.
Escape Room Puzzles Take Centre Stage
Once inside the room, gameplay switches to a first-person FMV perspective. You are presented with three stages of puzzles to work through. They genuinely feel like something straight out of a real-life escape room or an episode of The Crystal Maze. There are no objective markers or obvious hints telling you what to do. These are proper puzzles that require patience, observation, and logical thinking. Often you’ll have to experiment, fail, and then try again.
Time Pressure Creates Real Tension
Failure, however, isn’t something you really want here because it comes with consequences. The puzzles are completed under constant time pressure, which does a great job of building tension and anxiety as you desperately search for the correct solution. It fits perfectly with the cinematic nature of the game.
Of course, on the other hand, it may put off players who prefer taking their time to solve puzzles. Let’s be honest, fans of The Witness might struggle with that aspect. There are also moments where you barely have time to enjoy solving one puzzle before you’re pushed straight into the next. On the plus side, it often means your decisions become instinctive rather than overly analytical. I also liked how contained the whole adventure feels, allowing the focus to remain firmly on the puzzle design.
Presentation is good, even if being thrown into the game without menus initially caught me by surprise. The video work captures the tension, horror, and thriller elements very well throughout. Getting used to navigating first-person FMV sequences can feel a little awkward at first, but once everything clicks, it works well. Audio is excellent too, with a suitably menacing soundtrack, and the voice actors all do a strong job. The dialogue is performed in Polish, with English subtitles provided.
A Clever Twist On The FMV Formula
I mentioned earlier that one criticism often levelled at FMV games is that they can be too binary, boiling down to little more than choosing left or right. N.E.R.D. feels refreshingly different because you’re actively involved in solving escape room puzzles from a first-person perspective. Occasionally there is a slight delay between making an input and the next video segment loading, which briefly pulls you out of the experience, but it’s something you soon get used to.
N.E.R.D. is a short adventure, but the story is familiar and engaging, while the puzzles are consistently excellent. Will it spawn as many sequels as the SAW films? Only time will tell.
Important Links
N.E.R.D Throws You Into A Live-Action Nightmare – https://www.thexboxhub.com/n-e-r-d-throws-you-into-a-live-action-nightmare/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/nerd/9mt7kgn03rqv
