The Pillar: Puzzle Escape Reviews

The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is ranked in the 34th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jan 13, 2021

For a few short hours The Pillar: Puzzle Escape on Xbox will completely transport you away. It is easy to get sucked in thanks to the serene environment combined with the first-person perspective. A lack of story does not matter: this is a place begging to be explored.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2021

The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a colourful casual puzzle game with relaxing music and atmosphere. Although the puzzles don’t vary much from the mechanics you encounter in the first few levels, some of them do become trickier as you enter the final four levels. If looking to grab the platinum, you only need to complete the first four levels, but I strongly recommend playing through all eight in order to enjoy everything the game has to offer. PSVR support and more variations on the puzzles would have enhanced the overall experience, but those looking for a more relaxing and less stressful version of The Witness will surely enjoy this beautiful puzzle game.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2021

The Pillars: Puzzle escape is attempting to stand out in a crowded and niche market, where the leaders of the pack are extremely strong titles. A much simpler approach makes this an accessible game compare to the others, but I can’t ignore its graphical short comings. Had this element been spot on, it would have scored 7.5 out of 10, but it has to be marked down slightly for these issues. With this being said, do I recommend you try it? Yes. A great entry level title that can be played casually, with an excellent audio and nice graphics (if you don’t look closely at the details.) Can you unlock the mysteries of the pillars and escape this magical world?

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Jan 16, 2021

The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a competent puzzle game with light adventure game elements. It's short and not overly challenging, but it is fairly entertaining.

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7 / 10
Jan 18, 2021

It’s impossible to ignore the similarities to The Witness, and it’s disappointing that it’s so patchy from a technical standpoint, but The Pillar: Puzzle Escape was a short, pleasant and surprisingly enjoyable puzzle game that people should check out. It’s not overly taxing, so you might want to look elsewhere if you’re specifically looking for a challenge, but it’s a fine game for zoning out and killing a couple of hours.

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70 / 100
Jan 28, 2021

A rather modest puzzle game that knows how to play with its own mechanics despite the lack of variety. It has a somewhat irregular rhythm and a very random difficulty, but we will be fully immersed thanks to its simplicity and its beautiful artwork.

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Feb 22, 2021

I’ve always loved puzzle games, despite them often being a niche genre. They can provide a relaxing experience that also keeps the mind engaged. In some cases, they are also able to weave memorable narratives and characters, such as the Professor Layton games. It can also be difficult to make a game stand out when puzzles are the main focus. Unfortunately for The Pillar: Puzzle Escape, while offering a short but enjoyable journey, it relies too heavily on its inspirations to leave much of an impression.

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6 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2021

The Pillar does exactly what it sets out to do; it’s a puzzle game that takes the escape room experience and presents it as a video game. Some puzzles are easy, some are frustrating but it never feels unfair. The short run time is unfortunately a big drawback, especially as there’s not a lot of content post game. The lack of any clues whatsoever, including the controls, also might put some people off, but if you’re in the market for a game that gives you the feeling of an escape room without leaving your house, you can’t go wrong with The Pillar: Puzzle Escape.

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Jan 30, 2021

Its over-reliance on solving grid-based puzzles takes away from The Pillar: Puzzle Escape's otherwise clever adventure gameplay.

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Ben Sellwood
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Jan 13, 2021

The Pillar: Puzzle Escape is a very enjoyable game if you're into this sort of thing, but ironically, if you're into this sort of thing, you'll find it a cakewalk. Much more could have been made of this adventure to really work that grey matter and make it far more of a challenge for puzzle aficionados.

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3.8 / 5.0
Feb 8, 2021

What "The Pillar: Puzzle Escape" lacks in length, it makes up for in creativity and easily a fun experience for younger gamers. Players will get to explore a unique open world map as they search for clues and complete simple puzzles to progress to the next level. Older players won't find any real value in this game and are better off investing their time in something a bit more challenging. However, parents who want to help their children's creative problem solving and memory skills should look into this game as an educational and development tool to stimulate young minds.

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