BlueMatter Games (Published by MindWare) - "Dig It Up! Crack The Crate: A Dragon's World"

Photo above is property of BlueMatter Games & MindWare

Company: BlueMatter Games (Published by MindWare)

Game: Dig It Up! Crack The Crate: A Dragon's World

Country: USA 🇺🇸

Language: English

Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬

Genre: Fantasy

Date Played: December 20, 2021

Difficulty (based on 1 player): 2/10

Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend ages 8+)

Time: Unlimited (Suggested 1+ Hours)

Price: $34.95

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The Kingdom of Valoria is facing a terrible Darkness spreading across its land. Without

the dragons, there is no hope. An ancient prophecy has been shared across the land

about a series of hidden orbs that provide the secrets to bringing back the dragons and

defeating the Darkness. You’ve heard whispers that Darkness has its sight set on

dragon eggs and you need to find and solve these orbs before they do…or else the

world will be consumed!

Photo above is property of BlueMatter Games & MindWare

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"A Dragon’s World" consist of three boxes, a series of 10 ice raven cards, an amulet, a

prophecy page, a book of dragon lore, digging tools, a solutions book, and answer

cards. Each box contains a mystery item that players must dig into once instructed to

gain key information.

What stands out with these games is the physicality of core game pieces. This game

really wins over young players by rewarding them throughout the experience with a fun

digging adventure between puzzling.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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In "A Dragon’s World" you begin with reading the instructions off the envelope inside of

the box which gives you’re the premise, a tip to listen to the ice ravens, and a few things

they recommend gathering. In particular, they mention you will need scissors and a

large bowl of water. I highly recommend getting a big bowl as it will make the game

experience easier. I also recommend playing this on a large table or floor and spreading

out paper to help catch the mess.

Once you have prepped, the game will direct you to read a raven card which provides

the story and instructions on how to move forward. This game follows a "rinse and repeat"

function where you must solve the puzzle on the outside of the box, then a puzzle to

open the orb, and another puzzle to move onto the next location. The answer cards

offer four options and once you have the answer, you scratch out the spot under the

word you believe is the answer. If you are correct, it will give you a number for which

card you will need next to read. If you are incorrect there will be an "X".

If you run into any trouble while playing or your kids need a bit of help, the solutions

guide will highlight how you get the answers. This is not a hint system and will spoil

answers, so I recommend adults looking before handing it to children. As a kid’s game,

this game does an excellent job giving a good structure for players to follow and a nice

ratio of challenge and reward.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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Puzzles for this game range from cipher, pattern identification, tracking, searching, and

logic. These puzzles are quite light for an experienced player but for younger groups I

think this is a good level of challenge as it encourages players to really look at things

closely. I recommend not rushing through as some puzzles do require you to notice key

things on items to piece together solutions. The cards themselves also tell you what you

need to solve puzzles while given you a nudge so use those to guide your experience.

This game also lends itself to a less text heavy experience which benefits those who

struggle to read large stories and, yet, at the same time, still delivers a good story where

the puzzles help break things up. I found my favourite puzzles ended up being the ones

to open the boxes because it was such a delight to scratch the solution card and know that I am now being rewarded with what's inside.

Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers

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"A Dragon’s World" created a fantastic adventure that truly draws players young and old

into lore and prophecy of this land. The puzzling is light enough to engage children but

has a well-structured story and premise that makes it enjoyable to older audiences as

well. I recommend this experience for people wanting to get their children involved in

puzzles using a hands-on approach or for adults looking to experience the nostalgia of

digging into eggs while solving some cute puzzles. Now, are you ready to take on

Darkness and find the egg?!?!?

** PLEASE NOTE: This game cannot be replayed or reset as items are altered during playthrough.

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Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these game :

(If you do decide to try this experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)

Disclosure: We thank BlueMatter Games & MindWare for providing us with a sample of their game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.

#JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Fantasy #BlueMatterGames #MindWare #USA