You Must Escape, a Windows Phone game with more puzzles than you can shake a stick at

You Must Escape is the latest installment of a popular game style that has you escaping rooms by solving puzzles. You Must Escape has 100 puzzles to solve that range from the ridiculously easy to puzzles that may drive you nuts.

We visited a similar game, Doors, last year and recently receive several requests to review You Must Escape (thanks everyone!). There are a few design differences in the numerous incarnations of this game and while there is a sense of familiarity with You Must Escape, the game reminds us that sometimes simple works just fine. Please note, You Must Escape is available for low-memory devices.

100 Puzzles to solve

The main menu for You Must Escape has options to:

  • Start a new game/continue an existing game
  • View the gaming level map to replay the levels
  • Exit the game
  • Rate the game in the Windows Phone Store.

You can also mute the sounds and view the help section from the main menu.

The concept of You Must Escape places you in a building with 100 rooms that you must escape from. In order to escape, you have to open the door and to open the door you must solve the room's puzzle.

Puzzles start off extremely easy. For example, the first room, to open the door you simply tap on it. Other rooms have clues written on the wall that you have to decipher in order to solve the puzzle, such as the room with an upside down phone on the wall. You solve that puzzle by holding your phone upside down.

Some rooms have memory puzzles, some have jigsaw puzzles and some have math puzzles. Each puzzle does have a timer but it's not a game timer in the traditional sense. You'll have to try to solve the puzzle in the allotted time but if the clock strikes zero you can continue to try to solve the puzzle or use a key and skip that room.

The puzzles, while challenging, are designed rather simplistically. You move an object by tilting your phone to reveal a light switch that reveals the solution on the wall. You shake your phone to knock a vase off a statue to reveal a key. Then you have the jigsaw puzzles that will drive you nuts and the matching game where you have to find all the pairs without missing a beat or you'll have to start from scratch.

You Must Escape has a really a nice collection of puzzles but it would be nice if with all the re-hashes of this game, someone would add a few new puzzles into the mix.

Overall Impression

Even if you played all the levels of this game last year with Doors, you'll find yourself pulled into You Must Escape. You'll have a leg up on your competition but even then, the puzzles can be rather challenging.

You Must Escape is a simply designed game that is fun to play, even if there is a handful of similar games floating around the Windows Phone Store. It is definitely one of the more popular versions based on the recommendations received for review and the game's 5 Star rating in the Windows Phone Store.

Download You Must Escape for Windows Phone (Free)

George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.