Category Archives: App review

The Room Two Review

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Nerdr| 1 Comment

The Room Two (2) is finally released today, December 12th.  I finished the app in around 5 hours, just like the Room 1.  Here’s a quick review of how version 1 compares with The Room Two and if it’s worth your money.  Should I buy The Room Two?

Quick summary of negative opinions on The Room Two:

  • The puzzles in The Room Two make less sense as the game develops.
  • The ending feels rushed.
  • Loses the Lovecraftian atmosphere as the game develops, weak story and some poor writing.
  • With all the above faults points The Room Two still shines like the diamond that it is.

The puzzles and furniture in The Room Two still have the click and clack sound you love from the Room.  There’s still the undertones of Lovecraft in the background but not as much.  Everything is wood and cogs and the puzzles are never too difficult.  It’s all 95% of the way to a awesome experience…but it falls short.  Now this is short, but just a little.  It’s no where close to a failure, but it’s not the awe inspiring performance that was the original Room.

The story is the first issue I have.  The visuals in The Room Two are still top of the class.  Crisp and clean on the new iPad mini retina display.  The story is messy and told through letters, of which there are too many.  The original The Room had a beautifully crafted Lovecraftian vibe to everything.  The letters, the storyline, it all tied together and had the magic of coherence that sent shivers down your spine.  The Room Two by contrast has letters, and hence a story, that a modern writer has written.

The Room Two has none of the extended verbiage of HP Lovecraft that makes you feel the unsettling creepiness of everything around you.  And since story is such a big part of the experience it’s a big letdown when you read something that looks scrawled together over a coffee break.  The overarching story of the whole game is also lacking in depth or coherence.  The original The Room had you moving from room to room delving deeper into the depths of your Uncles home, in the Room 2 you’re taken from room to room just because.

Then you have the rooms.  The rooms are great and each has a theme, and it’s spoiler time so look away if you want to play through yourself first.  My favourite room was the seance, really the only level that maintained an unsettling vibe and had a great underlying story to the room itself.  Other rooms I were:  The ship room, the Egyptian room and the lab.  There’s also the first level called “The crypt”.  Five rooms in total, each around an hour long.

The Puzzles in the Room Two are mostly easy.  I was never challenged.  There were times I did not know what to do next. Like a switch hidden on the side of a drawer you can not see.  The hints that were added after The Room was released do spoil the struggle and sense of achievement of cracking a tough nut.

The Room Two continues the use of old time furniture and equipment.  Really nice to see that and with the touch and tap control scheme it felt real.  Lab battery charger and Typewriter in the Seance stand out as particularly memorable contraptions.

The last few rooms in The Room Two start to lose coherence in the puzzles.  You’ll ask yourself why collecting insects opens a drawer.  I felt a fetch quest vibe that I did not like, especially for the end of the game which should be well paced and jaw dropping.

Which brings me nicely to the end of the review.  Lack of jaw dropping ending in The Room Two.  When you play the original The Room your jaw drops when that final table opens.   You didn’t want the game to end, and it doesn’t, 3 times in a row as that table opens up revealing more and more juicy puzzles, each more difficult than the last.  It was an experience that left your mind racing long after the game was over.  You wanted to play again.  There’s nothing like that in The Room Two.

The Room Two is 5 hours long for a single play through.  For $5, the app is right at the limit of being worth it.  Which is probably why you’re looking at this review.  So here’s my final recommendations:

If $5 is throw away money for you then buy.

  • It will inevitably be on sale in a few months for $3, if you don’t mind waiting then you could save $2.
  • And of course, when The Room Three is released it will be on the Apple app store for free.
  • I paid $5 for The Room Two.  I feel it’s a $3 app.  I also feel the original The Room was worth the $5 I spent on it.  The extra $2 would come from a better Lovecraftian vibe in the writing and a jaw dropping finale.

Overall, I give The Room Two a review score of 4.5/5.  It’s still the 2013 Nerdr Puzzle Game of the Year because puzzle games have been weak this year.  For comparison last years The Room was a clear winner with 5/5.

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Mensa Academy App Review

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Nerdr| Leave a comment

Mensa Academy app review for iPhone, iPa, iPod and Android.  Mensa Academy is currently $4.99 in the App store.  The Mensa Academy App is created by Square Enix games, who also made the famous Final Fantasy series.

Is the Mensa Academy App worth it?  it is very expensive for a game.  Mensa Academy has previously been available for the Nintendo 3DS and other platforms.  It’s not a new game, just converted from the other versions available.  It claims in the description to have more than 1000 questions and I will write a Mensa Academy guide here on Nerdr if I have time later this week.


Graphics.  The graphics in Mensa Academy are nice and cartoony.  Not too childish, but not as serious as other games.

Sound.  Sound in Mensa Academy is nice.  Good music and sound effects throughout the game.  There is voice sound effects from the lady on the menu.  It’s a nice touch and adds to the quality of the Mensa app.

Puzzles.  A new question type is introduced nearly every level.  With 100 levels (20 in each of 5 categories).  I estimate Mensa Academy has 100 question types.  In the Mensa Academy game description on the App store it says it has 1000’s of questions.  Many of these are just randomly generated.  In truth, their are about 100 question types.  Maybe less ,but the puzzles are challenging.

I have seen and taken official Mensa tests (I am a member).  The puzzles here in Mensa Academy are not of the type you will find in an official Mensa test exactly.  They are more cartoony and randomly generated than the real thing.  They do however cover the same categories as real Mensa tests.

Gameplay.  Some of the puzzles and questions in Mensa Academy are average.  Some questions are repeated too often.  The review claims Mensa Academy app contains over 1000 questions.  The early questions are basically a reaction test, with questions like “Hit all the numbers that are a multiple of 11”.  I hope it gets better!

From the Mensa Academy main menu you get three options once you hit start.  Play, Coach and Test brain training options.  In these you then see:

  • Language puzzles.
  • Numeracy Puzzles.
  • Logic Puzzles.
  • Visual Puzzles.
  • Memory Puzzles.
Each of these options contains 20 “levels” of quizzes.  I have not yet completed the game (just purchased Mensa Academy 1 hour ago).  So far the puzzles are not challenging.  I hope the game gets better, and will update this review once I play more.

Value.  Mensa Academy costs $4.99.  This is a very expensive app compared to the free and $0.99 apps that are out there.  If you really like question and quiz games then I would suggest you buy it, but because of the price I can only half recommend it.  3/5.  Do not buy Mensa Academy if you have an older iPad 1 or older iDevice because there are many reports of crashing in the comments section on the App store.

Conclusion.  If you don’t mind spending $4.99 on a puzzle app then I would recommend buying this.  It’s good, but not amazingly great.  It might be worth waiting for a price drop sale later.  3/5 from me at the expensive price, 5/5 if you find Mensa Academy for $0.99!  Nerdr.com.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below for others to see your view.


Update after 1 hour of play of the Mensa Academy App.  I have now completed about 5 challenges on each of the 5 categories of Mensa Academy.  It is definitely overpriced at $4.99!  It does have some polish in graphics and style, so I say $0.99 would be too cheap, but the most I would pay for Mensa Academy is $2.99.

The puzzle types in Mensa Academy do get hard, so it’s good if you like a challenge.  Mensa Academy is not suitable for small children because of the difficult of puzzles.  At level 2 (out of 20 levels) on the Numeracy they need to know 3/11 is the same as 12/44 for example.  Mensa Academy gets hard quickly and requires a reasonable level of education.  Still there are puzzles in the app that children will like, like the animal ordering puzzle.  The graphics in Mensa Academy are also made to appeal to children.

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Emerald Den Escape Walkthrough and Guide – iPad, iPhone and Android

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Nerdr| 20 Comments

Emerald Den Escape walkthrough and guide for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices. The Emerald Den Escape app is created by Teralumina games. This guide for Emerald Den Escape contains tips and hints to help complete the puzzles, there are spoilers, cheats and solutions.

Welcome to the complete Emerald Den Escape guide and walkthrough for iPad, iPhone and Android.  The game is played and completed, and here is the written text walkthrough.

Emerald Den Escape HD guide by TeraLumina Games Ltd.

Emerald Den Escape Introduction.  While strolling down the beach one day, you come across an empty room.  The door was open so you went in.  But the door closed and locked behind you!  Now you’re stuck in this place.  You notice there are some emeralds lying around.  Can you find a way out and leave with all the green emeralds.

Tap on the mixed grid under the colored flowers.  To solve this jigsaw puzzle, start with the corners.  Then make the sides of the puzzle.  Lastly, arrange the middle pieces.  The panel is unlocked and opened.  Pick up the small stool.

A fire burns in the fireplace.  The colored flowers are 2,3,2.  Their colors are yellow, pink, red, green, red, orange and blue.  The flower vases are blue, red and green.

Above the colored flower vases is a set of books.  Tap the set of books to get a time code (there’s something written on the bottom of the page).  9:23=923 and a green emerald.

Tap the left bookcase near the fireplace.  Behind the lower left framed picture is a security card or key card.  Behind the right picture is a green emerald.  The middle box contains a color code machine.  Enter the colors of the flower vases in the right bookcase.  Blue, red, green.  The chest is unlocked.  Nerdr.com.  Inside the chest is a Kale key and a fuse.

Note the times on the stopped Emerald Den Escape clocks.  11:15, 2:23, 6:10, 4:33, 10:10.  These times on each clock will be used for the door swipe code later.

On the fireplace screen, behind the left cushion on the couch, is another green emerald.

Move to the 3 windows screen and pick up your green emerald from the wooden flooring.  You try to close the blinds but they are too high to reach.  Place your stool on the x shadow on the floor.

You try to close the blinds but they are broken.  Something is stuck in the blinds.  You need something to pull it out.  You try to close the blinds, but the wand is missing.

Move right to the 6 drawer area in Emerald Den Escape.  It’s an interesting wall hanging.  Tap near the wooden sculptures on the right and pick up a token, wood circle with an emerald in the middle.  Notice the pattern of the wooden sculptures:  apple, balloon, flower and bird.

The vase full of tulips is colored:  green, orange, pink, red, yellow and blue.

On the left set of 4 globes on sticks you will find another token emerald.  These are the set of polished stone spheres.

Tap to the left side of the 6 drawers to zoom in to the plant pot.  Here on the left is a small wooden cube box.  On the right of the plant pot is a wand for the blinds.  You will also find a green emerald on the plant pot.

Open the left drawer of the 6 to get another wooden box.  Use the key to open the 3rd drawer.  Inside is a screwdriver.

The code for the second (2nd) drawer is 2,3,2.  Like the colored flowers near the fireplace.  Inside you will find a control unit.

Drawer 4 in emerald den escape.  Remember the colored Tulips above the 6 drawers, and the colored flowers in the vases near the fireplace.  Get the order of the tulips above the drawers and look at their position in the vases near the fireplace.  For example, green is 2 because it appears in the second vase.  Orange is 3 and so on.

The code for drawer four is 2,3,1,2,2,1,3.  Press the light black buttons in that order to open the 4th drawer and get a magic wooden cube.  Remember there are two red roses!

Tap the red hat on the right stand to get a green emerald.  Nerdr.com.

Move right to the front door area.  Their is an emerald on the left plant pot.  Pick up the cable near the right plant pot.  Tap the letter to see the word AIRMAIL.

Back to the 6 drawers.  Enter the code on drawer 6 with the 7 X symbols.  The code is AIRMAIL.  Inside is an empty dice cup and a green emerald.

Move to the big couch area.  Under the middle red cushion or pillow is a pair of pliers.

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Stupidness 3 Free and Pro Walkthrough and Guide – iPad, iPhone and Android

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Nerdr| Leave a comment

Stupidness 3 complete cheats, walkthrough and guide. Stupidness 3 app is made by Orangenose studios and is available from the Appstore for free. Here is the FULL game guide for Stupidness 3 HD.

Stupidness 3 puzzle guide and questions covering stages 1 to the end.

Stupidness 3 stage 1. Who is shorter – Turtle.

Stupidness 3 stage 2. What’s the next number? Answer is 12. 2,4,6,8,10,12.

Stupidness 3 stage 3. Which room is the safest?
1. A 300*C burning room.
2. A room full of deadly poisonous snakes
3. A room with lions who haven’t eaten in 3 years. ANSWER!
4. An empty room with no air.

Stupidness 3 stage 4. Tap on the right tick. Turn the iPad, iPhone or Android device upside down and click on the right tick.

Stupidness 3 stage 5. Which one is furthest from us? Moon.

20% of Stupidness 3 complete!

Stupidness 3 stage 6. Cut the blue wire. Cut the blue wire!

Stupidness 3 stage 7. Catch the shooting star. Touch the screen with two fingers. Then tap on the moving star.

Stupidness 3 stage 8. What’s the next number 2,1,0,-1,-2,_. Answer is move the dash at the end up to make a minus sign. Then type 3.

Stupidness 3 stage 9. Cut the blue wire. drag all the other color wires off the blue wire and cut the blue wire.

Stupidness 3 stage 10. Hide the elephant. Drag and move the elephant off the left side of the screen!

40% of Stupidness 3 app completed.

Stupidness 3 stage 11. Arrange the number to form the biggest number possible. Drag the three to the left, then place the 2 and 1 to the top right of the 3. So it’s like 3 to the power 21.

Stupidness 3 stage 12. Shoot the Bird. Shoo the arrow at the word “bird” in the question.

Stupidness 3 stage 13. Push teh box in the direction given. Touch just to the left SIDE of the box and push off screen to the right.

Stupidness 3 stage 14. Fit the shapes completely into the outlines. Move the square and two triangles into the square outline.

Stupidness 3 stage 15. Arrange the numbers to form the smallest number. Solution is 2.34. Use the period sign from the question as the decimal point.

Stupidness 3 stage 16. Push the button 3 times. Touch the word “the button” three times. Stupidness 3 App.

Stupidness 3 stage 17. Arrange the numbers to make up 16. Drag the “1” from 16 to the top right of the 1 in the equation.

Stupidness 3 stage 18. Complete the equation cat and fish. Drag the cat into the first box and the fish into the second. Then rub on teh FISH part of catfish until it is just cat.

Stupidness 3 stage 19. Push the buttons. Find the word Button in the question and swipe up underneath it.

Stupidness 3 stage 20. Tap on the longer arrow. Drag the third arrow, which is pointing left, up to the left of the first arrow. Then tap the first arrow.

80% done with Stupidness 3.

Stupidness 3 stage 21. Remove the apples from the tree. Shake your iPad, iPod touch or iPhone to remove some apples from the tree. Then drag the remaining apples off the tree.

Stupidness 3 stage 22. Tap on the correct equation 9 + 9 = 21. Turn your iPad, iPhone or iTouch upside down and tap the equation.

Stupidness 3 stage 23. Let there be summer. Move the sun close to the Earth.
Let there be winter. Move the sun away from the Earth.
Let there be night. Move the sun off the screen to the right.
Let there be wind. Drag and quickly move around the Earth.
Let there be no earth. Place the Earth onto the sun to destroy it!

Stupidness 3 stage 24. Shake only the right hand. Hold one finger on the right hand and shake your device.

Stupidness 3 stage 25. How many stars will you rate this game? Tap the 5th star.

100% complete Free version!

Stupidness 3 stage 26. Create the third square. Drag the second square to lower right corner of the first square to make a tiny third square.

Stupidness 3 stage 27. Try to catch the frog. Tap the next and current leaf at the same time to catch the frog.

Stupidness 3 stage 28. Make me an iced coffee. Rub the steam coming from the coffee cup until it disapears.

Stupidness 3 stage 29. Get the ball out of the box. Tilt your iPhone to yourself until the ball falls out.

Stupidness 3 stage 30. Catch the frog again. Tap all three leaves at the same time. The frog will be yours.

Stupidness 3 stage 31. Tap here to proceed without flipping your device.

Stupidness 3 stage 32. Remove the pens cap. Split the pen from it’s cap using two fingers. Nice apostraphe guys.

Stupidness 3 stage 33. Save the polar bears. Rotate your phone around and shake the polar bears out.

Stupidness 3 stage 34. Okay, let’s take a 5 minute break. Ignore the timer itself and just drag the words 5 minutes up and off the screen.

Stupidness 3 stage 35. Create a longer sentence based on the sentence below. Drag and drop the comma from the questions part and place it at the end of Stupidness 3 on the first line.

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The Room Review for iPad

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Nerdr| 5 Comments

Here are links to the full walkthrough of The Room App by Nerdr:



The Room App Review, iPad

This game is simply amazing.  5/5 and a clear BUY.  Yes, it is expansive at a high price of $4.99, but I don’t regret purchasing The Room.

The Room App is created by Fireproof Games and Fireproof Studios Ltd.

Graphics – Simply stunning graphics.  When the sundial table opens up you’ll be blown away.  Crisp HD on the new iPad 3, with smooth animations and movement.  5/5 points.

Sound – The Room contains atmospheric music that adapts to the chapters as the game flows.  Beautiful sound effects from the various cogs and dials of the puzzles.  Flawless would be an understatement, from the whirring motors to the clack clack of the instruments.  5/5 stars for The Room sound effects.

Replayability – I authored a 5000 word complete guide for all chapters in the game here: The Room App Game Guide and then replayed the entire game THE SAME NIGHT just for fun.  It’s that good.  The next day I deleted the game to make space on my iPad 3.  4/5.

Fun – The puzzles in The Room are always possible and never too difficult.  You’re never stuck for more than about 5 minutes.  The balance is just perfect.  Seriously, the puzzles in The Room are about as carefully balanced as I’ve ever seen.  You’re never permanently stuck on one part, the hints and clues are FREE.  This is not a freemium “give them impossible puzzles so they pay $0.99 for 5 hints” app.  This is polished, this is amazing.

Length of The Room – The Room game on iPad comes to about 3 hours of fun for a playthrough.  For $4.99 this is short.  Don’t let the price per hour stop you, the game is simply stunning and in another class.  The polish, the time taken to make everything just perfect is staggering.  You’ve never seen anything like The Room.  This is why The Room has 300 5 star reviews on the App store right now and not a single 1 star.  NOT A SINGLE 1 STAR.

Story of The Room App – The story surrounds a mysterious note and a box.  No spoilers here!  The story is fantastic and progresses the journey at just the right pacing.

Conclusion – The Room app is genre defining.  It’s just so completely polished and atmospheric words can do it no justice.  Yes, it is expensive at $4.99, but the price is worth the squeeze for the finest puzzle gaming experience you will have this year.  Is it worth 5 $0.99 junk apps to play The Room for 3 hours?  I say yes.

The Room – Nerdr awards The Room 1st prize: Puzzle Game of the Year.



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