The House of Da Vinci 3 is the concluding chapter in this series of historical puzzle games. Continuing the story from the first two games, it blends a combination of history, invention and art to produce a four-to-six-hour experience. If you have not played the previous two games this one comes with an extensive chronicle which will catch you up on the story so far.

The story is set in Renaissance Italy where you, as the protagonist, play a student of Leonardo Da Vinci

The story is set in Renaissance Italy where you, as the protagonist, play a student of Leonardo Da Vinci trying to find his master and stop a conspiracy which threatens the whole of time and reality. Things are not going your way with the game starting with your attempted assassination.

Overall, the story is engaging and well-paced, though the ending felt a little flat, but it has enough twists and turns to keep the gamer engaged. The game creates an atmospheric experience offering up intricately designed locations that do well to capture the beauty of the Renaissance period as it takes you through palaces, labyrinthian rooms and tunnels all the time solving the puzzle which will progress your game.

At its core Da Vinci is a set of puzzles wrapped around a narrative; you can even skip the narrative if your main interest is the puzzles. They are well designed and diverse in their nature. You will be faced with riddles, deciphering codes, mechanical devices, optical illusions and hidden mechanisms. They are all solvable, but you will need a keen eye and a logical approach.

At its core Da Vinci is a set of puzzles wrapped around a narrative

Although it is mostly a point and click game, Da Vinci also has a large portion of object manipulation as well. The only other mechanic used by the game is time manipulation, where you can go back and change the past to influence the future. If you get stuck the game has a progressive hint system which will eventually point you in the right direction.

The game uses the DualSense controller to further enhance the experience with good use of the haptic feedback adding to the immersive tactile experience. Added to this is the soundtrack which is atmospheric, grounding you in the time and place of the game. The ambient sounds of whirling machines and grand halls also add to the overall dense and in-depth experience mix.

It’s a good conclusion to the series and should please fans of the first two games. The story, except for the ending, is compelling and the puzzles challenging.

8

Charles Packer