Photo above is property of Thames & Kosmos
Company: Thames & Kosmos
Game: Exit The Game: The Cursed Labyrinth
Country: USA 🇺🇸
Language: English
Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬
Genre: Fantasy
Date Played: March 1, 2023
Difficulty (based on 1 player): 5/10
Size of Team: 1-4 Players (Ages 12+)
Time: Approximately 1-2 Hrs.
Price: $14.99
🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈
You and your team have made your way to a castle for the weekend when suddenly someone in your group spots an eerie looking gate. The adventure seekers that you are, you venture through and are seemingly transported to another realm where fantasy becomes reality and the way back is no longer an option. You must start pushing forward through the labyrinth and encounter its puzzles, conundrums and tricks in order to make it back to your world.
Video above is property of Thames & Kosmos
🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞
As with a game themed to a mysterious labyrinth, one expects dark dreary spaces filled with mysticism. The Cursed Labyrinth accomplishes that with materials that are easy to handle. The components in this game provide a good usage in puzzle visibility and worldbuilding. If you have played Exit games before, it features the usual high quality paper materials: an instruction booklet, a cipher wheel (as part of the answer-checking system), 3 types of cards (riddle, answer, and hint/solution), a sealed box, and various other pieces.
Photos above are property of Thames & Kosmos
🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈
This game has a very similar gameplay as with other games in the series. Each puzzle you look for a string of 3 numbers to match with a shape on the cipher wheel. When all numbers are put in in the correct shape an answer card number is revealed, look at that answer card and if you get an X you were off in your solution, if you get a card that has a multitude of lockboxes and doors on it, you are on the right track, verify the lock you are trying to open and it will lead you to hopefully the correct answer card. Once arrived at the solution, gather the new unlocked game materials and continue on!
Photo above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂
Everything in and around this box is fair game in regards to puzzle solutions. Similar design with other Exit games, you can find solutions in the most obscure of places so make sure that your team keeps an eye out for anything that stands out on the front, back sides, or even in the rules booklet of the game. Nothing is out of the limits of this game.
This is an extremely linear game. The game follows a main booklet that tells you the story of just how your team is managing to get out of the labyrinth. Follow the puzzles step by step and you are left with many different types of puzzles from word games to physical components leading you to each solution. You only have the opportunity to solve one puzzle at a time so more people playing seems to be a hindrance.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂
"The Cursed Labyrinth" is a standard formula for "The Exit Game" series and can be enjoyed by all. However, with this game's highly linear nature, I wouldn’t play with more than two people. It is rated at a 2/5 difficulty and the puzzles reflect that well. During the completion of the game, there were a couple points where solutions and logic didn’t flow very well but with a couple of nudges, I was back on my way. It is a completely serviceable game that has a mix of puzzles and a fun little storyline to follow. If you are looking for a quick game of puzzling, The Cursed Labyrinth will be a great way to fill the void.
Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game:
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Thames & Kosmos for providing us with samples of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.