The Spectrum Retreat Reviews
I would be remiss in not recommending The Spectrum Retreat if you’re a fan of Portal-esque puzzle solving.
But even though the Penrose Hotel quickly becomes boring to walk through, there's still a lot to like – from the art direction to the story and the often-wonderful puzzle design.
Taken in small doses, the game can be a fun, challenging experience – as long as you step away before frustration sets in. And if those issues could be fixed in time for a sequel, I'd be up for a second visit to The Spectrum Retreat.
The Spectrum Retreat is a clever and fun puzzle game with a good story that will keep you engaged for around 5-6 hours depending on how good you are with puzzles.
Small and not too deep, but still fun experience with smart puzzles and solid story.
Review in Russian | Read full review
But, those challenges are all in the later half of the journey, so getting to them will be a chore. I think all of the concepts here, warrant a sequel, that I would gladly come back to. A few tweaks here and there, would assist in the overall experience, but all in all I recommend checking into The Penrose for a few puzzling nights.
The Spectrum Retreat is a game that I had been following, and I'm happy I got a chance to play it since I definitely liked its lush futuristic hotel setting, the color-based puzzle solving, and the great story. The one complaint would be the weird-looking mannequins, but that's about it! Hopefully Dan Smith gives us some extra puzzles as DLC since I had fun with this 5-7 hour release and wouldn't mind more puzzles, or a full-fledged sequel!
If you're looking for puzzles, atmosphere and drama, The Spectrum Retreat is perfect for you. If you join a walkthrough simulator with a puzzle game and add a few drops of mystery you have a good mix. This mix has its flaws, but the result is certainly very tasty.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Putting these two halves together The Spectrum Retreat is a surprising treat, with both elements of the gameplay motivating me to get further so I could understand or solve more. While I wish there were more room for discovery in the hotel sequences I suppose the deliberate and slow doling out of clues keeps the revelations around what’s happening at a specific pace. I will say that some of the backtracking through the hotel got tedious when there wasn’t anything of value to do along the way, but it usually didn’t waste too much time. Right through the game’s conclusion I was pretty satisfied with the experience and would love to see more titles with this pairing of gameplay styles in the future.
Narrative The Spectrum Retreat remains quite exciting and stands out from the standard "walking simulators", so that one is curious to see how the story goes on. Even the narrative offers some space for interpretation. Technically, the game is solid and does its job well, especially the soundtrack is very atmospheric and the speakers deliver a good performance. Fortunately, the English language version was kept here, but there are German subtitles. The Spectrum Retreat is for anyone who likes narrative games like Firewatch and can also start with puzzles.
Review in German | Read full review
The Spectrum Retrait combines the mysterious story with a puzzle system that focuses on thinking, trial and error. and that system allows us to look at it from a different side.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The Spectrum Retreat is a fun game that doesn't outstay its welcome. The failed attempt to reconcile the narrative and gameplay aspects may leave the player seeing each as an obstacle. The voice acting, soundtrack, and visuals are well executed but not enough to elevate the game quality.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Spectrum Retreat is a wonderful first-person puzzle game. It contains clever puzzling and a mysterious story involving the past of the main character you play as. It's $12.99 on the Switch eShop, had a 5 year development cycle from Dan Smith himself, and is totally deserving of the price tag. There's an appreciated elegance to The Spectrum Retreat. I'm sure Dan Smith Studios is goin' places and most likely up from here.
The Spectrum Retreats is an interesting and fun puzzle game. The best parts of the game are the color puzzles that lock and unlock panels that will allow you to move through the levels. It’s a well thought out and challenging game that will give you an estimated 5+ hours of fun.
The Spectrum Ward is a creative little title that manages to craft an interesting world and some memorable moments, but it feels a bit lacking in the gameplay department. Still, while its puzzles may not wow, it’s an experience worth having
The Spectrum Retreat is a refreshing independent game with some big ideas and ambition. It creates a truly compelling environment with excellent acting and narrative progression.
If you dig in and look, you can find a wealth of games, both old and new, trying to be the next Portal. Games like The Spectrum Retreat try for a little more, which makes it all the more devastating when they miss the mark so completely. With a by the numbers story and simplistic puzzles that frustrate rather than fascinate, there’s nothing here worth recommending. This game is competent but unremarkable, and that’s really the nicest thing you can say.
Expertly created puzzles, a setting which is as equally enticing as it is unsettling, a thought provoking narrative, excellent music and top draw voice work combine to form a truly enjoyable puzzle game that’ll have me leaving a very positive Trip Advisor review.
The Spectrum Retreat is a challenging, first-person puzzle game set within the near future. As you awake and being to explore the Penrose hotel, you will begin to unlock your memories through the various colour-based logic puzzles and various interactions you have with the mysterious Cooper. You must solve each of these ingenious puzzles as you uncover the truth behind why you are in such a place and who is behind your imprisonment. The Spectrum Retreat has AAA quality voice acting, an amazing soundtrack and the perfect amount of mind-bending and thought-provoking puzzles all contained within a single package.