The Spectrum Retreat

The Spectrum Retreat is a valiant stab at a Portal-esque puzzler which largely pulls off what it sets out to achieve. It lacks the dynamite script and surgical timing of Valve’s masterpiece, but the test chambers (sorry, ‘authentication challenges’) withstand the comparison. If Gone Home’s pace is a touch too navel-gazing for your liking, we’d heartily recommend a trip to The Penrose Hotel.

Discover the truth! In a hotel where every day repeats itself, you desperately look for a way out. A voice wants to guide you to freedom. Should you trust it? You have no choice. Either follow its instructions or stay trapped forever in an endless cycle. Welcome to The Spectrum Retreat. Enjoy your stay.

As far as hybrid genres go, this is an interesting one. The combination of walking simulator and the integration of the puzzles is very well done, while the drip feed of the story is steady enough to keep your focus, driving you through the small niggles that arise throughout a play through. The whole thing is tied together with some great voice acting and great music. Overall, The Spectrum Retreat grabs hold and refuses to let go, while its clever combination of pure puzzling and story telling makes for an enjoyable and unique experience throughout.

I won’t spoil anything but suffice it to say that the game seems to have a clear political stance on the idea of healthcare as a privatized industry. As Alex regains his memory, though, the simulation begins to fail. This becomes worse each day as the androids begin to malfunction, furniture becomes misplaced and appears to be rendered improperly, and the walls even threaten to fall apart. None of these issues appear in the puzzles, however, which leads me to one of the major issues I have with this game: It’s two games.

Despite this, The Spectrum Retreat is still worth investigating. It weaves a compelling tale, and while it’s not technically a horror game, the long, identical corridors and lack of other inhabitants mirrors The Shining’s unsettling sense of isolation. It’ll keep you guessing right up until the end, no matter how good you are at figuring out plot twists. The hotel sections, too, mess with your head in some wonderful ways. But thanks to the decision to lump the puzzles together in chunks as well as the possibility that you’ll reach a point where the only option is to restart that level, you’ll ...

No summary available

At its core, The Spectrum Retreat has a tragic story about a family cast aside by the American health care system. That much becomes apparent early on, but the finer details are hidden behind too many consecutive puzzles. There’s a narrative worth hearing here, but the cadence at which it’s told is just a little bit off. That, mixed with the good-but-not-outstanding puzzle design, keeps The Spectrum Retreat from being a truly great stay.