| Quick Verdict: LAN Party Adventures is going into the vault of my favorite games. I loved every second of playing, and I highly recommend this title to anyone who loves simulators, puzzles, and mysteries. You’ll feel like one of the Scooby Gang with this one. |
| Game: | LAN Party Adventures |
| Developer(s): | LEAP Game Studios |
| Publisher: | LEAP Game Studios |
| Review Score: | 9 |
| Cozy Score: | 10 |
| Price: | $14.99 |
| Pros: | The puzzles are challenging without being impossible, the story is interesting, and I enjoyed the detective-esque style of finding the answers in the environment. |
| Cons: | You can’t move the computers after something is connected, so you need to unhook everything, move the object, and try again. There are some typos in the later stages, but nothing major. |
| Platforms: | PC |
| Genres: | Simulation, Puzzle, Mystery |
LAN Party Adventures is half simulation and half puzzle mystery. You’re taken back to ye olden days into a world of dial-up and lugging around your desktop if you want to game with others. You take on the role of Spike, who makes some money on the side by helping set up technical LAN parties for clients.
If you’re unfamiliar with what a LAN Party is, it’s where your friends would bring their desktops to one location to play a game together. You’d have to play Tetris with everyone’s computers and work cable management magic to make it all fit.
As much as I jest about LAN parties and computer set-ups being some sort of ancient art, if you’ve ever set up a desktop computer, then you get the gist of what’s asked of you in LAN Party Adventures. You’ll connect the monitors and towers to power, plug in all the accessories, and get the computers hooked up to the internet.
The only thing that may throw you for a loop is running the MS-DOS terminal on the computers. This program is how you’ll input passwords for internet access and garner more information about the PC you’re using. That’s right, this game takes place in pre-Wi-Fi days.
LAN Party Adventures does a good job of holding your hand and keeping the tools to navigate the MS-DOS system at your fingertips, so even the most technophobic person can pick their way through this game without any issue.
You’ll navigate your way through a few levels of setting up LAN parties for your friends and customers when disaster strikes your friend group. One of your friends is missing, and the authorities are seemingly useless. It’s up to you and your circle to try to dig up information that might lead you to your pal.
What you’ll discover is a tech-savvy mastermind with a penchant for puzzles. It’ll be up to you to parse out the clues in order to save your friend.
Watch the trailer for LAN Party Adventures!
All in all, the game is around 8 hours of content, and I was hooked from the start. I found the mechanics of putting together the computers very methodical and soothing, even on levels where I had to connect eight or so computers. To be honest, this part might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you’re not familiar with the process of connecting a computer.
I think what kept things from being stagnant for me was the encouragement of the game to explore. You’re not going to have all the accessories in one place, so you’ll need to scour your surroundings for keyboards, outlet adapters, powerstrips, and even additional cords. Not only are you searching for computer components, but there are “hidden” items to collect and secret documents to find in every level.
Additionally, the puzzles for LAN Party Adventures are all visual; if you don’t find an answer in a document, you’ll find it in the environment. All of the answers are right in front of you, and even when you stall, I promise they’re not hidden in some asinine way. As you play, you’ll learn to anticipate the kinds of things you’re looking for.
I will, however, advise that you have a piece of paper handy in order to write things down. You’ll come across passwords, IPs, and more that you’ll want easy access to. I felt like a detective every time I wrote something down and was able to use the information that I had squirreled away.
I found that the controls were responsive, and other than the fact that you can’t move the monitor or the tower after you’ve hooked things in, it was a dream. And, honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal to reconnect the things.
I also appreciated that while this was a mystery and there was an undercurrent feeling of urgency, you don’t have to worry about jump scares or being caught. Even when you’re told you have limited time or you’re warned about inputting the wrong password too often, you’re not actually roadblocked or working against a timer.
It’s a perfectly cozy way to solve mysteries.
LAN Party Adventures is going into the lineup of games that I wish I could play again for the first time. It was an absolute joy to play, and it made me feel ever so smart.
If you love simulator-ish games or puzzle mysteries, then I highly recommend grabbing LAN Party Adventures; it’s well worth the time and money. If this isn’t your cup of tea, then you can check out some of the other reviews we’ve highlighted, like Monster Mop Up or Henry Halfhead.
