Santa Escape Walkthrough:

It's Christmas Eve, and what you probably need most is something quiet, almost Zen-like, to sooth the holiday nerves. So here's a special Christmas Present, another in a recent spate of excellent Holiday themed escape games, Escape of Santa Claus 3 by Tesshi-e. Welcome to another escape from the everyday!

Now here's a classic room escape scenario: You appear to be Santa Claus, trapped in a lovely, warm A-Frame cottage trying to make your way out. It's tempting to just relax in the rocking chair, but there's escaping to be done, so try to avoid the temptation. Wander around the cozy, inviting space and investigate every nook and cranny, there's bound to be a way out. Somehow. Or two ways out, as the case may be.

Navigation through the small space is accomplished with bars at the sides and bottoms of the screen. Unfortunately there's no changing cursor, so be prepared for some pixel hunting. And yes, there is a small bit of construction, very logical, that needs to be done in order to escape to your sleigh. Hey, it's Christmas time, so you should already be used to a bit of assembly. Inventory control is accomplished with an "about item" button that can be used to look at things you've picked up in close up. Play with everything you acquire, it could be important.

As always with Tesshi-e games, the environment is three dimensional and beautiful to look at. This time around the space is very warm and cozy, unlike the usually chilly and sterile spaces that characterize Tesshi-e's work. There's a cute little tune playing in the background, and a handy mute button when it all becomes a bit too much.

Analysis: Tesshi-e games are often a bit controversial; some folks like them, some folks don't, mostly due to the ever present construction aspects and the calm sterility. However, Tesshi-e always gives us a very polished, nicely presented room escape. As usual there is a happy coin escape, but quite nicely at the end there are also three Christmas presents to choose from as a special virtual gift.

Anyone who's played a few of these games will recognize some recycling of puzzles, especially the picture with the clickable corners. Luckily, Tesshi-e has managed to put a new twist on this old chestnut, making it not as easy as it first appears. None of the puzzles are terribly tricky, but this is a fun, calm, quiet room escape perfect for the holiday season. What are you waiting for? You have presents to deliver!