Review: SUBNET – Escape Room Adventure (Nintendo Switch)

In SUBNET – Escape Room Adventure, a 3D puzzle game, it’s your job as a government agent to enter the abandoned subway tunnels hacked by the terrorist group “drkFORCE,” and disarm their bomb.

The game starts simply enough; you learn of this attack while in your apartment, and are given voicemail instructions to open a package sent to you and then head to the subways.

It also starts cryptically. In order to open the package (and do anything in this game, really), you have to find clues that help you solve puzzles. For example, the package you are given has a lock on it, so before you can open it you have to search the room for the passcode.

The game continues like this. Once you open your package, you find it consists of an AI earpiece that helps you to navigate your location and track the hackers. Once you’re on your way to the subway, you will find you have to unlock doors, hack security devices, and move large objects to get to your destination.

During one chapter of the game, when you are to hack a subway train into driving you to a certain location, you will find many puzzles you need to solve in order to progress. There are many doors you need to unlock in this chapter. One, you do so by entering the right password into its security lock. You find this code by, of course, solving a puzzle. This puzzle is one of the easier ones, as the passcode is shapes and not numbers. On the outside wall on the train are the shapes you need, with corresponding numbers on the inside wall to give you the order of the code. There are tons of other puzzles like this—some easier, and some harder.

You’ll find yourself in a lot of different locations as you progress: alleys, trains, tunnels, and so many more. All of them are related to the subway, and each has an eerie vibe that adds to the game’s thrilling aesthetic. You play in first-person as well, which allows the game to feel more personal, and therefore, even a bit scary. Your only companion while exploring is your AI, who occasionally talks to you and lets you know what’s going on and what to do. Everywhere you explore is dark and lonely, and some places even require a flashlight as they are very poorly lit.

The music is eerie as well. SUBNET – Escape Room Adventure does a good job at making its player feel on edge as they try to find their way to the hackers, which allows the game to be suspenseful and fun.

The controls are very easy, you move around with the left Joy-Con stick, interact with objects with A, go back with B, and open your inventory with Y. I experienced no interface problems while playing, and felt the game ran very smoothly. The objects you need to interact with are shown through a symbol that pops up, so it’s easy to explore your surroundings as well. The graphics and animations are pretty well done, which also helps the game to be enjoyable.

SUBNET – Escape Room Adventure isn’t a very long game, and while the story isn’t the most interesting one ever told, it’s still fun to explore creepy subway tunnels and solve puzzles along the way. Playing this game will make you feel like a true agent, from the first-person perspective to the satisfying feeling of solving a chapter all on your own.