Case 23 is the fifth installment in the Cube Escape series. Seasons, the first installment, should be played first, but so far, the order for the others doesn't seem to matter much.
Seasons transcended the usual you're-stuck-in-a-room-try-to-escape storyline, and although some of the other installments in the series added further hints about what might be going on, none of them have an actual narrative until Case 23. Case 23 has less sense of mystery and a less compelling narrative than the first game, but it held my interest.
Then the fourth chapter of Case 23 began, and suddenly I was forced to collect all the items and solve all the puzzles within a very limited amount of time. Not being on a timer is one of the things I love most about adventure puzzle games, so that felt like a huge slap in the face. I didn't even wait to solve the final chapter before writing this review to express my disappointment. I'm not entirely sure I'll ever finish the game. Maybe I'll just watch the video walkthrough instead.
Granted, Loyalty Games gave themselves a tough act to follow with Seasons, and there are some good puzzles in the later installments, but at the moment, it feels as though the series just jumped a shark. I hope it gets back on track with later installments.