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Videos/ Photos provided by Wild Optimists Company: Wild Optimists Game: Vampire Pizza Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Thriller, Mystery Date Played: 9/1/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $45.00 for NY ($32.99/ pp party of 2, $27.99/ pp party of 4) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Vampires have been hiding behind doors for centuries. They finally came up with a clever way to communicate with each other: pizza delivery! The hidden messages will be revealed as you solve the puzzles. Do you have what it takes to join the Fang Force? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game arrived in a mysterious black box with a sticker that said "Vampire. Pizza" on it. To save you some time and to preserve the pretty packaging, there were no hidden puzzles on the box. There were a bunch of clue papers, a small red paper bag, a "vampires only" envelope, some photos and 2 little drawstring pouches (this changes pending on the number of players). The occasional blood drops on the vintage paper was a nice touch to the story line. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The intro story was delivered to us through a video on a secret website. There's a letter in the "Start Here" envelope that clearly explained the steps we needed to take to solve the game. There was an answer sheet which allowed you to fill in the answers to the 6 mini puzzles. You'll need a final answer to submit into the website. If it's correct, you'll be able to find a conclusion for this chapter. There was a hints & answers booklet provided with the game. The entire game flow was really smooth. There were no frustrating or confusing moments for us on what we needed to do next. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles were quite easy for veteran puzzlers. Most puzzles were single step problems. There was a mixture of searching, visualization, deduction, etc. Perhaps there was one puzzle that was a bit more challenging than the others. This is a great game for beginner puzzlers and families with kids. Since the puzzles were all non linear, you could definitely divide up the workload. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 What we loved about this game was the creativity behind incorporating a meal along with a puzzle box. It would great to be able to not cook and enjoy a nice puzzle night with friends and family. Due to COVID, some areas might not have started the dinner delivery service but soon enough we should be able to see the collaboration of local pizza joints with this game in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York. We can't wait to see what this "themed" dinner is all about. Right at the beginning of the game, we had to fill out an agent profile. It was great to be able to transform ourselves to characters in the game. The ending also was quite clever as I'm a "sucker" for arts and crafts. Unknowingly, we became loyal members of the Fang Force (we even have our own "badges" now!). At this time, we eagerly await for instructions on what our mission will be in Chapter 2. *** We regret to inform this company has closed its doors but check out other games by Wild Optimist on our website *** (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 Wild Optimists 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. #ESCAPETHEROOMers #WildOptimists #VDP #Ravel #VampiredotPizza #puzzlesathome #Vampires #Dracula #mystery #puzzle #solve #digitalgame #FangForce #BellessFamilyKitchen

Photo above is property of Mattel Company: Wild Optimists Game: Escape Room In A Box: Flashback (Manufactured by Mattel) Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Sci-Fi, Supernatural Date Played: August 8, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: 2-8 (Ages 13+) Time: 90 mins (Suggested 60-90 mins) Price: $22.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Flashback is a sequel to The Werewolf Experiment, the first game in the Escape Room in a Box series, and is made by the same creators - the Wild Optimists. In that one, which you do not need to have played, you are first introduced to Doc Gnaw - the werewolf! In this game, Doc Gnaw is back and coming after YOU to keep her secret safe. Her best friend has found a way to de-werewolfify the Doc by creating a special amulet, but she needs YOUR help to do it...not to mention it is the only way to save your own skin! Otherwise, the werewolf will be snacking on your remains when she arrives in 90 minutes. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The box has a very similar look to the first game in the series. You will find a series of colorful papers, special items, and plastic lockboxes. The papers are attractive and fun, though there are no real art images (of which there were a few in the first game). On the one hand, you can tell that the materials are mass produced and not the most durable, with largely plastic and paper components. It feels a bit more like a game for kids, in fitting with the Mattel brand. Our game was purchased second-hand, and some of the writing on the lock dials had been largely wiped away, making one in particular very hard to read. However, the fact that you get so many cool tangible items and FOUR lockboxes still seems like great value for the price. Some Photos above are taken from Mattel 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The game starts with an introduction to the story and some basic rules and instructions. Your 90 minute timer begins once you lift the underlying cover out of the box. Unlike the first game, Flashback has three distinct, color-coded “tracks,” which can be solved by the same folks sequentially (as we did) or by separate teams/individuals in parallel. Each track features both paper and physical items and ultimately leads you to one item and one piece of the final puzzle. So, you must solve all three plus the final group of puzzles before you can finish the game. If you can create the amulet within 90 minutes, with no more than three hints, you (and Doc Gnaw) will be saved! 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Flashback was a smooth and fast-paced puzzling experience. There are a wide variety of puzzles, including word, logic, spatial, and grille ciphers. There are no codes to decrypt or riddle-based answers. We decided to tackle each of the three tracks (word-, science-, and kid-themed) as a team, but certainly experienced puzzlers could have tackled them solo. With larger groups, you could easily split them up and solve separately, though that would also shorten overall game time. There were one or two puzzles where we liked the concept but struggled a bit with the implementation. Overall, however, we really enjoyed the mix of puzzles, and the tactile nature (and fun objects) incorporated into many of them. They tell you up front that some items may be used more than once, and we definitely appreciated the use of certain items in multiple, unexpected ways! A hint booklet is included, and you are allowed to take up to three hints (plus any “bonuses” you might find along the way). There is a table of contents to point you to the correct page, which has tiered hints for each puzzle. However, each hint is one after another on the same page, so it would be easy to see more than you intended. (Experienced puzzlers are unlikely to need the hint booklet.) Photo above is properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 We definitely enjoyed the first game in this series, but overall Flashback felt like a smoother experience (even if we did miss a bit of that cool art). The storyline is super-fun and very well-written and entertaining. The instructions were very clear, and the flow worked well with each of the tracks and the final integration. The puzzles are on the easier side, but we enjoyed them and the fast pace keeps you moving. It took us 51 minutes to finish the game, with each track taking about equal amounts of time. We think almost anyone could enjoy this game, so long as you do not require luxury components or a super dark or intense theme. It is definitely approachable and family-friendly. Those under 13 might require adult assistance but could certainly play. However, we felt there was enough fresh content and fun to keep enthusiasts entertained as well. The time certainly flew by for us, and we can’t wait to see what the Wild Optimists come out with next! 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"!) #KristaJones #AtHomeGames #PuzzlebyMail #OneOffs #Series #Supernatural #SciFi #EscapeRoominaBox #WildOptimists #Mattel

Photo above is property of Wild Optimists Company: Wild Optimists (Published by Arcane Wonders) Game: Hello Neighbor: The Secret Neighbor Party Game Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Detective, Mystery Date Played: November 13, 2021 Size of Team: 5-10 Players (Age 8+) Time: Unlimited (Approx. 30 Mins.) Price: $14.49 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You neighbor is hiding a sinister secret locked in his basement and it’s up to you and your friends to discover what he is hiding. Using objects that you find in the house, try to find the keys but beware! Some of you friends are secretly Neighbors and are going to make sure the basement stays locked forever! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Inside the small box, you get all the cards you need for the game such as the role cards and object cards as well as 3 high quality keys needed for the game. You will also find a book of in-depth instructions as well as a sheet of quick start instructions. Photos above are property of Wild Optimists 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 For anyone new to social deduction games, the goal is typically to determine among the group, who is on your team and who is not on your team through banter and reasoning. This game plays similar to most social deduction games like werewolf or mafia (or more modern games like Secret Hitler or The Resistance) but this one adds a small twist. Rather than having your role determine your ability, your ability is determined by what object cards you are able to trade or obtain. At the start of the game, keys will be placed in the middle and you will be dealt one of three roles, Kid, Neighbor or Secret Neighbor. The kids will not know who one another are. The Neighbors will know who each other are except for the Secret Neighbor and the Secret Neighbor knows who everyone is. The goal of the kids is to obtain a key for a kid from the middle and use it to unlock the door while the Neighbor’s goals is the same. The only difference is that depending on how many people are playing the game, there may be more than one key in the middle. The kids will have to use all the keys to win while the neighbor only needs to use ONE to win. After the reveal phase of the game, everyone is dealt 4 object cards. From there everyone starts to negotiate with one another to trade cards and try to come up with a set of three. Once the trading phase is over, anyone who has a set of three can declare that they will use the object ability that ranges from stealing cards to moving keys around. If all the keys from the middle have been given to someone, then you can also do nominations and vote to see if a person holding a key should be allowed to use it. If no one has won the game at this point, then all the used up object cards, as well as anyone wanting to discard their hand, are shuffled and dealt back out so everyone has 4 cards and the trading phase starts again. The game was simple to grasp and everyone was into it right away. One thing we liked was that unlike other social deduction games, the ability is tied to the cards rather than the role so there was less fumbling at the start wondering what they can and cannot do. In this game, we could easily discuss abilities openly since everyone could potentially use them. Two rules that we were not a fan of was that first, one of the rules is that once a nomination is made and seconded, all discussion halts and we go to the vote on whether that person uses the key. We found people were jumping into the seconding before we even got a chance to discuss which made accusations a little more difficult. The second rule we were not a fan of was that since deciding to use an ability was a free-for-all with whoever spoke first, this became a sore spot for people announcing they were going to use their ability before people were settled back into the game. There was an optional rule where a door card is placed in the middle of the table the first person to touch it gets to use their ability first though. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Since this is not an escape experience, there was no puzzles to solve. This game did have us use reasoning and deduction to determine who was on your team and either try to bluff your way into getting people to trust you or confirm that someone else was on the opposite team. It did take a few plays to determine what strategy was needed. At first, we all played the cards tight to our chest hoping to either trade for the cards we needed to get the keys. As we continued to play more, we learned we needed to work together and trade cards to people that we trusted so they could use their abilities for the betterment of the team or hold on to cards so the other team were unable to collect a set to use the ability. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This game is based off the popular video game series “Hello Neighbor” and more specifically, one of the sequels titled “Secret Neighbor”. Even if you have never heard of the video game, this game is one that can still be enjoyed. Overall, this was a great family game that even with some coaching, the kids were able to join in. This is one of the simpler social deduction games we have played but also has a little more depth with the card trading. One small detail I appreciated with this game was that each card was marked with the player number on it to make it easier to set up at the start. If you are playing with 5 people, you shuffle together all the cards that say 5+. If you are playing with 6 people, you shuffle together all the cards that say 5+ and 6+ and so on. The game also played quickly as well as most of our games would finish in under the 30 mins. If you are waiting for the rest of your friends to come over or just need a small break between escape experiences, pull out this game and try to see if you can discover who the secret neighbors are. Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game: (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Wild Optimists 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. #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Mystery #Detective #WildOptimists #USA #BehindTheMasterMinds

Company: Wild Optimists (Published by Mattel) Game: Escape Room In A Box - Time Drifters: ISABEL's Story/ KIRA's Story Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Time Travel Date Played: December 21, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 Players): 3/10 Size of Team: Up to 4 Players Time: Unlimited (Suggested 75 Minutes) Price: $14.99 (each) Note: "ISABEL's Story" was reviewed and written by Jillian Raymond "KIRA's Story" was reviewed and written by Matthew Lui 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Isabel and Kira have been traveling the world through time and space. They have spent their lives going from century to century and experiencing things we can only dream of using their custom-built time machine. Until…an accident causing the time machine to split off leaving Kira and Isabel stuck in separate times and places. Each person must fix their side of the time machine and find a way to communicate with the other before becoming stranded alone forever! Note: This game is part of a two-part experience that must be bought separately. Once each is solved, groups are able to combine both games for a bonus third game that has them working together to reunite Kira and Isabel in the same timeline in a bonus game. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Both games come inside a traditional game box with a beautiful illustration on top of the respective person fixing her time machine. When these boxes are placed side by side, they create an amazing image that shows how they are stuck in different times and places. Inside the box is a steampunk style warning before you begin. After lifting the “Stop” divide in Isabel’s Story, you will find a story, rules, and tip sheet, a locked box, a sealed red plastic bag with cardboard squares and little pegs in it, a tray, a ruler, and a series of pages from Isabel with instructions and hints on how to open the locked box. I found the design and layout of the game to be really nice. The steampunk theme really drew me in and enjoyed a ripped stylization to Isabel’s notes that leant themselves to idea that Isabel literally had to find whatever she could write on to communicate with her friend. Also, the tray was perfect for a series of puzzles that require you lining up the squares so they wouldn’t accidentally shift while moving around. This game definitely took the time to consider what players would need to accomplish their task smoothly without giving away everything which is perfect for a mass market escape game like this. Lifting the “Stop” divide in Kira’s Story, you will be met with a note from Kira, explaining the situation, the Time Machine Schematics, a locked box, and 2 envelopes marked Toolbox 1 and Toolbox 2. The graphic of the design overall is very appealing from the graph paper schematics to the look of textured paper. The paper shows that Kira is possibly an engineer/mechanic through the engineering paper and the envelopes that look very much like a well used toolbox. One thing lacking would be a little more color or design on the contraption as it does look plain. Isabel's Story Kira's Story Photos above are property of Wild Optimists 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game encourages you to set a timer for 75 minutes before you begin the game in order to give a true escape room feel. Once you start the timer, you open the box and are provided with a brief introduction, rules, and tips. The big thing to remember is this game follows a linear set up so when something is numbered 1,2, 3, etc you should follow that order. The goal for Isabel’s Story is to repair the time machine console by identifying the correct orientation of the four diodes. These diodes will help identifying the position of the switches that when aligned right will activate the time machine! After reading the “Note to Kira” you will see the direction to solve the first diode which includes a note on which items you need to solve the puzzle and clues. Diodes are identified by two numbers – a column (which will always be 1 or 2), and a row (which will be rows 3-9). Using the pegs provided in the red pouch, you will plug in the diodes in their correct spot and when you attach the console tray onto the time machine box, it will help you identify the correct switches. Overall I found I really enjoyed the game play here. It is quite linear and makes for a relaxing experience. The goal for Kira’s Story is also to repair the time machine but you will not be sure how to do it until you have completed the puzzles. As you open the toolbox envelopes, you will get some different gears and items that will help you along the way. Looking at the engineering schematics of time machine, you will be guided on what needs to be done and solved to repair the time machine. Gameplay For Final Game: Once you have solved your game, the goal is to team up with another player who has the other game box and use the pages stored in your locked box. Together your goal is to use each others games to find the location, date, and time for Isabel and Kira to meet. In each person’s locked compartment there will be key pages that you must read to your partner that will help them solve a puzzle on their end and vice versa. NOTE: I ended up facing two issues in my gameplay of Isabel’s story that impaired my game play at the end. First, the hint site was down so I was unable to check the hint system and see how it runs. Even now, a month later (January 2022), the site is still facing difficulties, but we found by googling the site, rather than inputting escaperoominabox.com into the URL, helped us find the sites’ hint page and, later, the page to input the final third puzzle game. It appears the main page is just down. Second, which was compounded my first issue, was an unknown printing error on my locked box. The arrows and dashes on the side of the box were printed upside down. The solving element of the game was fine and fit within the run time of the game, but I was stuck on the final element of opening the box for almost two hours because I was unsure what was wrong. So, the whole experience was wonderful until I was faced with printing error and the lack of hint site added to the frustration. Incorrect Correct 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles in Isabel’s Story are light but engaging. This game is tailored for more mass market players which means the puzzling is more about the “aha” moment. That is to say once you figure out how the puzzle works you easily have the answer rather than have to push through a multistep puzzle. Puzzles consist of observation, tracking, hidden messages, and following directions. I really enjoyed some of the reveals with these puzzles as they weren’t super obvious until you reach the end. I also felt that having players physical maneuver even some drawing helped engage players into the experience. The story is quite light so what is meant to stand out here are the puzzles and I think they did a great job. My advice for more experienced players is to follow the directions. It can be easy to brute force these kinds of puzzles but for the true experience stick to the instructions and you’ll have a fun experience. Even with the light puzzling, I enjoyed the puzzle solutions and the satisfaction of opening the box will be so much sweeter. For Kira’s Story, the puzzles were straightforward with some that needed you to play with the items. Most of the puzzles required you to follow the instructions of the cryptic text. If you are an experienced puzzler, do not over think these puzzles as I was hung up a few times thinking there was more. You should not need to destroy anything but if you do, the designers have released the paper items on boardgamegeek.com to allow you to reprint the paper items. Even though there is a set order to solve things, there was some leeway that allowed me to skip a few puzzles and then come back to them if I was not sure how solve them right away. Some tips for this game are to make sure you examine everything before diving too far into a puzzle solve. There were a couple times I assumed I knew how to solve something, only to find out I needed another piece that I had not examined yet. Also, do not play around with the box too much. For the final puzzle, the box did open before I completed putting everything into place. Puzzle for Final Game: The core mechanic of the final game’s puzzles was collaboration. The hints on the papers provided would direct you back to a component to use and you’d use similar puzzle concepts to put together the solution. I found it an excellent style as you listen to your partner and think “oh, oh! I know what to do.” That said it does become a little one sided as you wait for your partner to finish the puzzle before getting a clue for yours. So just remember to be patient! Also, try to play the final game not too long after you’ve completed the first 2 or ensure you keep track of the previous answers for the final game. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The Time Drifters game as a whole, consist of a really neat premise and excellent “aha” puzzle solutions that new and experienced players will enjoy. The theme is on point and the details within this game make this mass market game so much more special to enjoy. We also love the fact that you could combine 2 of the games to play a 3 rd game which fit the theme perfectly. The ending was sweet but a little short. We recommend this game for those looking for a light puzzle experience that focuses more on the reveals and for puzzlers looking for a good collaborative game that can be played in-person and virtual! Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game: Isabel's Story Kira's Story (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Wild Optimists 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. #JillianRaymond #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Mystery #Fun #WildOptimists #EscapeRoomInABox #Mattel #USA #BehindTheMasterMinds

Company: Wild Optimists (Published by Renegade Game Studios) Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Game 📬 Size of Team: 4-6 Players (Age 14+) Time: Unlimited (Approx. 90 Mins.) Photo above is property of Wild Optimists Game: Crimes & Capers: High School Hijinks Genre: Mystery Date Played: January 3, 2022 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 4/10 Price: $34.95 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 At Blair High School there is one student with all the power and her name is Romi. She is the person to turn to when you need a better grade, an absentee note, a part in the school play, and more. Yet Romi has many enemies, particularly within the school staff. When all the Mystic cards of a group of seniors goes missing, they are miraculously found in Romi’s backpack the next day. You know one of the staff has done this and Romi has left you clues to open her locker to assist you in identifying the suspect. You need to figure out who framed Romi before she is expelled from school! Time is a ticking! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "High School Hijinks" comes in a gameboard box with a beautiful graphic of Romi in the school on the box. Inside the box is a locked cardboard locker, six-character booklets, two colourful letter size envelopes marked with letters A and B, host guide and a larger envelop labelled “Opening Materials.” Inside this envelop is five cut strips of Romi’s class schedule, a blue print of the school, a how to play guide, a story introduction, a suspects card, and a student summary. This game also includes a link online platform that provides hints, reset instructions, and pdf files you can reprint or share to play virtually with friends. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game is a cooperative puzzle deduction game. Each player is given their character booklet to read. Then, the “Opening Materials” envelope is opened, and you are provided with Romi’s schedule to puzzle through. These strips will provide clues to open the locker and once the locker is opened you will have more documents to examine that will allow you to deduce who is the culprit. This game requires consistent communication between players so make sure to share information you gain from your booklet as one clue might work with other to help solve the code or narrow down the six suspects. I appreciated that the online website not only a hint system but also had a place to test your password and verify its answer in addition to a tab in case your lock was having issues. Photos above are property of Wild Optimists 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 "High School Hijinks" uses a series a traditionally fun puzzles that consist of tracking, word logic, orientation, visual, and more. This definitely lends itself more for newer players to puzzles in terms of its difficulty. I found most often I knew exactly what the puzzle was requiring of me as soon as I looked at it. In a group setting, I appreciated how each puzzle could play to the strength of different players. In addition, the deduction part of the game was really interested because it encouraged an excellent form of cooperation. Players had to come together with key information that's found in their notes as no single player had all the answers. The key is to talk about what you’ve noted. Overall, an easy puzzling game that excels in bringing people together. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "High School Hijinks" is a fun board game adventure that embraces light puzzling and cooperation to create an engaging experience. The story was a little short, but I finished the game with the satisfaction of solving the case. I recommend this kind of game for people looking for a relaxing board game with friends in the evening. It allows space for conversation, tasks for different players, and a choice to ramp up the game. There is another game in this series, Lady Leona’s Last Wishes, and I can’t wait to try it out! Photo above is property of Wild Optimists Game: Crimes & Capers: Lady Leona's Last Wishes Genre: Mystery Date Played: February 12, 2022 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 4/10 Price: $28.94 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The infamous Lady Leona was well known for being…well, unlikable. Yet, her sizable fortune meant she kept a tight group of family and servants all hoping to be in her will when she passed. Now that Leona has passed, everyone has gathered together for the reading of her will only to find Lady Leona has decided to have the last laugh. Nothing made Leona happier than puzzles and making life difficult so what better way to dole out the will than to have a competition. Let the games begin! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "Lady Leona’s Last Wishes" comes in a gameboard box with a beautiful castle graphic on the box. Inside the box is a locked cardboard chest, six-character booklets, two letter size envelopes marked with letters A and B, host guide and a larger envelop labelled “Opening Materials.” Inside this envelop is a letter from Lady Leona, the story sheet, a “How To Play” sheet, and a map of the estate. This game also includes a link online platform that provides hints, reset instructions, and pdf files you can reprint or share with a virtual event. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Similar to the other Crimes and Capers game, this game is a cooperative puzzle deduction game; though this one differs in the end. Each player is given their character booklet to read. Then, the “Opening Materials” envelope is opened and you are provided with Lady Leona’s clues to unlocking her chest hiding the will. Each player must review the night’s events and together uncover the answers to the three questions that will open the lock. After that, players must solve two additional puzzles inside the chest. I appreciated that the online website not only a hint system but also had a place to test your password and verify its answer in addition to a tab in case your lock was having issues. Photos above are property of Wild Optimists 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The majority of "Lady Leona’s Last Wishes" focuses on deduction puzzling. You have questions you must answer and using the journals and letters provided you have the clues. For the first have of the game, I recommend working together to create a timeline of events to help answer the questions. Share your information with the group to crack the code. For the second half of the game, each player has similar puzzles with different solutions. The deduction part was fun to build the story. I find the other puzzles to mainly just be finding clues. For a group activity it was neat that there was a puzzle for every player to work towards that you could help each other without giving away your answer. I also liked the puzzle twist at the end that upped the challenge and I felt overall the game worked to allow players to work together, regardless of their experience. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Lady Leona’s Last Wishes" is a good deduction-based board game that brings players together. I found the premise to fit the theme and I wish I could have learned more about Lady Leona actually. This game is less puzzle based and more cooperative game style so doing this on an evening with friends is what I recommend. It is a great option to introduce players to the growing world of puzzles. If you love deduction, playing with friends, and eccentric heiresses than this is an excellent option! If you interested in a game with a bit more puzzles, try out "High School Hijincks" instead. Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game: (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Wild Optimists 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. #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #TabletopGames #OneOffs #Mystery #Fun #WildOptimists #CrimesandCapers #RenegadeGameStudios #USA #BehindTheMasterMinds

Photo above is property of Tumbleweed Company: Tumbleweed Game: Fantastic Flag Puzzles Country: Japan 🇯🇵 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: History Date Played: December 2, 2021 in English (March 14, 2019 in Japanese) Difficulty (based on 1 player): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (1-2 Players) Time: Unlimited (Approx. 1-2 Hrs.) Price: 1650¥ 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Do you love national or regional flags? If you do, this is the ultimate puzzle for you. The game has no story. It is simply to enjoy some fun puzzles created by the colorful flags from all over the world! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ These puzzles come in a booklet form. The last page of the booklet is sealed, and you can open it once you are instructed to do so during the game. It also comes with a translucent sheet and a sticker sheet. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 You start solving puzzles of the first mission on the booklet. Once you figure out the answer to the first mission, you submit it to the site specified in the booklet. To solve the puzzles, you only need to use the flags and their respective names on the front and back cover of the booklet. No outside knowledge is required, though you can save some time if you are familiar with those. If you are stuck at some puzzles, you can access the hint page to look at a hint. Due to the nature of the game, this may not be suitable for color blind people. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles of the first missions are straightforward. Some maze puzzles look similar, but their rules are different each time (though it is purposely designed that way). You may want to read the instruction each time carefully when you solve those puzzles. After the first mission, the puzzles shift to more intuitive ones. You may have more aha moments as you move on. The characteristics of some flags are nicely captured to create some exciting puzzles, especially in the second half of this game. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Fantastic Flag Puzzles" is the perfect game for those who are into national flags or vexillology. And, even if you do not care much about flags, the puzzles are still enjoyable to solve. It may be interesting to do some extra research on those flags and countries where you would like to visit. If you play this game with children, it may be a fun introductory educational tool. (Although this one is not included in the game, one of my favorite flags is Gibraltar’s flag!) *** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website*** (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"!) #ChikakoOmura #AtHomeGames #PuzzlesbyMail #OneOffs #Tumbleweed #Puzzles #Flags #Japan

Photo above is property of Lewis Copeland Company Company: Lewis Copeland Company Game:. Cipher Stories Puzzle Book Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Cipher Puzzles Date Played: November 30, 2021 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 4/10 Size of Team: 1 Player Time: Approximately 6-24 Hours of Play Price: $15 (Out of print) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Published Feb, 1928 “Consisting of Twenty-five Original short Stories, Dealing With Life, Love, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; Each Story Containing at Least Two Vital Cipher Puzzles.” As one of the earliest publications of the Progenitor Age of Mystery Puzzle Games, I was excited to try out the Cipher Stories Puzzle Book. Knowing that it was geared more towards kids and that ciphers and similar puzzles were just becoming popular at the time, I went in with fairly low expectations expecting simplistic puzzles, and stories that would seem quaint and clues that may not make much sense to someone in the year 2021. So, how did it fair? Pretty much as I expected, and that is a good thing. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Each of the chapters is based on real figures from the time or history, such as Charles Lindburgh, Darwin, presidents, actresses, and more. This makes for a fun concept, but would probably be much more appreciated in the time this was written. Each puzzle also tries to be funny in the writing and whimsical with the art with cute elves adorning the puzzles. Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers My favorite line from the book is from puzzle 18: The Story of a Philosopher, “Can’t? I can, Kant.” This is an example of the humor being mixed through the book. Much of the humor was probably funnier in the 1920s and 30s, but some of it holds up, like this. It also contains words and phrases that I needed to look up (since I don’t live in the 1920s)...like scarehead, or to be “Heinzed” -- which I think means drunk, but I can’t find it. This book is definitely a product of the times and the writing suffers from it, but the puzzles hold. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The puzzles are a “simple” deciphering where you figure out which letter might belong to which letter or number and plug them in, try some more, erase some, add more, figure a few out, etc., until you get to the very satisfying “AHA!” moment when the words start to fill in and make sense. This moment is really what this puzzle book is about.. multiple “A-ha” moments where your hard work falls into place and you feel you can rest. Each puzzle story chapter stands on its own with no overall meta-puzzle, making each chapter a game by itself. Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Each of the ciphers used in this book is the “simple Transposition Method” where each letter is represented by one, and only one other letter or number. The preface does a great job of walking the reader through the process of solving the ciphers and using them in the crossword puzzle-style format to finish the solve, which gives the answer to each story. At the end of the book is a section explaining this and several other types of similar ciphers. The book contains 25 chapters, each with two main puzzles and a hint puzzle that all key off the same cipher. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This is not the type of puzzle book to pick up and finish in one or a few sittings. It really is designed to do a puzzle or two, by hand, every now and then. Pick it up on a rainy day and stretch your brain manually solving the ciphers...they are not technically difficult ciphers, but can take a while sometimes as you work on the substitutions. I found this fun, relaxing, and a good way to pass some time! Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) #BrentPrice #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Ciphers #Puzzles #LewisCopelandCompany #USA

Photo above is property of Ravensburger & (Manufactured by ThinkFun) Company: Ravensburger (Manufactured by ThinkFun) Game: The Laboratory Country: Germany 🇩🇪 Language: English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Science Date Played: October 28, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended 1-4 Players) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 2-3 hours) Price: $22.83 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 After a long shift at the lab, you final begin cleaning up your workstation. This vaccine your team is working on is so close to being finished and you will save millions. Unfortunately, long sleepless nights working have finally caught up to you when you accidentally pierce yourself with said horrible disease while cleaning up in a daze. You must work quickly and finish the vaccine before you succumb to the illness! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "The Laboratory" consist of one illustrated puzzle, made up of 368 pieces, an introduction booklet (each page is a different language) with a QR code for the hint site, and a sealed envelope with the final answer. The unique element to these escape puzzle games is that the image on the box changes slightly as you assemble the puzzle so make sure to pay attention to those smaller details! Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 “The Laboratory” takes the peaceful element of a traditional jigsaw puzzle and mixes it with light escape room puzzle design. You read the introductory page before taking out the puzzle and begin assembly. Keep in mind some parts of the puzzle will be altered from the original image on the box to aid puzzling. After assembly, each of these new additions act as a puzzle to solve; in the case of this puzzle there were six puzzles. Each other puzzles will produce a three number combination and once you have the number you can locate the puzzle piece you need by scanning the edge pieces where some contain numbers. Once you have collected the six numbered edge pieces you need you will have another mini puzzle to assembly which will conclude the game. Open the final envelope to receive the epilogue and final solution. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Nothing beats a good jigsaw puzzle, and I loved the peace that comes with sifting and sorting all the pieces. The intricate image meant there was a good variety in the challenge of assembly. The puzzles themselves consist of ciphers, spatial awareness, and pattern identification. They require no additional research. There was a neatness to some of the puzzle design that made me appreciate them as they weren’t in your face with mechanics but still provided good signage around the puzzle that made you really look. I also enjoyed how the solution of your puzzles creates its own mini puzzle resolution that finishes the story. There was one puzzle where I felt it needed a bit more signage as I still don’t quite get it, which I think has to do with it requiring me to mentally adjust pieces in my head. I recommend if spatial awareness is not your strong suit, I recommend bringing a friend to play to help you along. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 “The Laboratory” provides the perfect combination of light puzzling and good old fashion jigsaw puzzling. It is like a nice cool drink on a long day after work. This kind of game is perfect to introduce friends and family to light puzzling while using a traditional medium everyone knows and love and adding a little ‘oomph’ to it. The puzzles aren’t too difficult, but add the right amount of variety to the experience to keep you know your toes. Now, are you ready to bust out your white coat and figure out this cure? (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 Ravensburger (Manufactured by ThinkFun) for providing us with sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Adventure #ThinkFun #Ravensburger #Germany #JigsawPuzzle #TableTopGames

Photo above is property of Ravensburger & (Manufactured by ThinkFun) Company: Ravensburger (Manufactured by ThinkFun) Game: The Jungle Journey Country: Germany 🇩🇪 Language: English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Adventure Date Played: November 27, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 3/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommended 1-4 Players) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 2-3 hours) Price: $43.95 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 On a beautiful holiday in the Brazilian jungle, you explore the vast and exotic landscape, filled with exotic wildlife and beautiful flora. After a long day you head back to your jungle hut nestled in the heart of the jungle to find the bridge you used to travel back broken! You must figure out a way to cross the chasm before darkness falls… 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "The Jungle Journey" consist of one colourful and vibrant illustration made up of 368 puzzle pieces, an introduction booklet (each page is a different language) with a QR code for the hint site, and a sealed envelope with the final answer. The image on the box is slightly different from the image you will assemble (to avoid spoilers) so be careful as you assemble, as you’ll notice some curious changes! Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 “The Jungle Journey”, much like the other escape puzzles, has a two-step process. The first is to take the time and assemble the puzzle, minding the slight changes in the game. I worked on this puzzle with another person and found that using the box photo and a photo of the box online allowed us to divide and conquer. The second step is the solve the puzzles at the heart of this game. Looking closely at the assembled puzzle you will notice obvious changes to the scenery (in this case there were six noticeable changes) from the box photo, each revealing a puzzle that needs to be solved. Each puzzle solution reveals a number that matches one of the edge puzzle pieces. Once you collect all six pieces you can assemble a mini puzzle that will reveal what you need to help you past your barrier. To confirm your work and receive a conclusion, open the final envelope. A hint system is available using the QR code in the game manual if required. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The jigsaw puzzle part of this game was a tricky sort of fun that I cannot help but enjoy in these kinds of games. There is a thrill as you are sifting and uncovering slight changes to the image that help you start painting a picture of what you will need to do to escape that just isn’t in a regular puzzle. This image was also very bright and colourful so assembly was smooth, but there were a few tricky spots because of the plants. The escape puzzles themselves required pattern identification, tracking, math, and observation. I found this experience to be on the easier side as there wasn’t any need to note down information or re-orient like I had in my last Ravensburger. That said, for a children’s escape puzzle I think this is probably a good level of difficulty for them as a result. All the clues are noticeable, but it just takes a little focus to piece the information together. I also enjoyed how the solution of your puzzles creates its own mini puzzle resolution that finishes the story. I found I ended up enjoying the simplicities of these puzzles quite a bit after the journey of putting together the game. I felt more immersed having only to look at the puzzle to draw out solutions (no writing needed!). It definitely more aligns with children but aren’t we all kids at heart? Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 “The Jungle Journey” is a bright and colourful trek filled with easy puzzles that engage players actively in the experience. This kind of game is perfect for younger puzzlers and for a day when you need a break. I recommend this experience if you love jigsaws, a little puzzling, and adventure! If you are looking for a bit more of a challenge but still within the wheelhouse of kids escape puzzles, check out “The Laboratory!” (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 Ravensburger (Manufactured by ThinkFun) for providing us with sample of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #JillianRaymond #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Adventure #ThinkFun #Ravensburger #Germany #JigsawPuzzle #TableTopGames #kids

Photo above is property of Enigmailed Company: Enigmailed Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Mystery Game: Undeliverable (Upgraded Game) Date Played: July 26, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Age 12+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested: 60-90 Minutes) Price: £16 Purchase separately: Undeliverable £10 "The Case of the Honeycomb Sting" £5.50 per bar (100g) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You received a series of delivery notices at your doorsteps but they seem to contain cryptic messages about a mysterious parcel. There may just be a sweet prize waiting for you at the finish line! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The upgraded Undeliverable game came with 5 parcel cards and a bar of the honeycomb milk chocolate. It was a hot summer day in NYC when we received the package. I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the package as it got here perfectly all the way from the UK. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We obviously got too excited about the chocolate and played the game in reverse. Typically, you're suppose to solve the parcel puzzles and then be awarded with the chocolate bar. Since there's no connection between the two games, you can play it in either order. Because there's no puzzles on the chocolate itself, we indulged ourselves with the yummy chocolate before even solving any puzzles. There were 4 quick puzzles that you had to solve on the box itself. Once you think you found all of the answers, scan the barcode in the back to check them on a website. Hints were available on the same site if needed. Undeliverable took longer in terms of play time since each parcel card had 4 embedded puzzles. Each card indicated a location where the parcel was leaving from. When you solve the final card, your parcel (chocolate) should have arrived, If you got stuck, scan the barcode on the corner of each card to obtain hints for the puzzles for that particular card. The input of the answers was a bit more complication in this game. Each time you would need to fill out a form with your name, reference number, contact email in order to check for the answers. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles were not too difficult especially for experienced puzzlers. Not over thinking would probably be the best advise we can give for this game. Some of them were as simple as visualizing the clues where as others may have you use some of your puzzling tools such as indexing, Overall the goal of what you need to solve was always very clear and you just have to go down the questions like a check list. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The concept of combining solving puzzles and rewarding the players with chocolate is genius. We love seeing innovative ideas like this as it really "hooks" a player to become a subscriber for the long term and this game definitely has that potential. The puzzles might have been a bit on the easier side for veteran puzzlers but it's a great entry game for beginners. Furthermore, if you are short on time and would like to enjoy a short and sweet type of game then this would be a great choice. Lastly, this game could easily be replayed or gifted to another player as nothing was needed to be destroyed within the game itself (minus the chocolate of course, that went right into the tummy!). Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these 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 Enigmailed 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. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Enigmailed #Mystery #UnitedKingdom #BehindTheMasterMinds

Photo above is property of Enigmailed Company: Enigmailed Game: Pouroboros Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Casual, Adventure Date Played: November 15, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Age 12+) Time: Unlimited (Approx. 2-3 Hrs.) Price: £12.00 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Standing in the heart of London, you are feeling parched and have a thirst for culture. With some coasters in hand, they will be your guide in solving both of your problems. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Full disclosure: We got a sample of this game which contained only 3 coasters. The full game will have 9 of them. These look like your standard pub coasters (depending on what set you have, they may be from a fancier pub with laminations). Each of them has 3 puzzles to solve to help you on your journey. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game utilizes the free app, what3words for its gameplay. If you do not know what this is, what3words is a brilliant app that has broken the world up into 3 meter squares and has randomly assigned each of them a unique 3 word identifier. On each coaster, there are 3 puzzles that when solved, will each give you a word. Once you have the 3 words, there is an additional puzzle that will tell you the correct order of words. Once you think you have the answer, input them into the app and if you are correct, you will be taken to a square beside a pub somewhere in London. Once you complete the 9 coasters and find the 9 locations, you will be rewarded with a 1 hour walking tour of London with different pub stops along the way. You do not need to be in London to be able to solve the puzzles, but you will obviously need to be there if you want to visit the pubs on each coaster. Each coaster is marked with what location it would be on the walking tour but can be solved in any order which is nice. If you are with a group, everyone could be looking at a different coaster or you could all be solving the same one. Photos above are properties of Enigmailed 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Most of the puzzles were words puzzles that will stretch your brain. Some of them had direct instructions and we were able to get right away but others had us scratching our heads, waiting for the “Aha” moment. There were even a few that had us using Google or outsourcing the clue to some word expert friends (to be fair, our vocabulary is subpar at best though). Overall, all these clever puzzles had us “pouring” over them for a fair amount of time and had us on the edge of our seats as we input the 3 words into the app, waiting to see if we would be taken to a relevant location in London or not. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 These "Pouroboros" coasters were fun and a delight to play. Full disclosure we received a sample There was a lot of puzzle play packed on each of them. The design of the coasters gave us the reminiscent feeling of sitting in the back of a dimly lit pub on some bar stools. This feels like such a simple concept, but the idea has been executed marvelously and on top of that, they easily fit into your pocket to bring with you. Whether you are in London or not, these coasters can easily be completed in your living room or at your own local pub with friends and a cold pint sitting on a coaster next to you (obviously a different coaster than these). Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these 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 Enigmailed 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. #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #Enigmailed #Adventure #UnitedKingdom #BehindTheMasterMinds

Photos above are property of ENIGMAS Company: ENIGMAS by David Kwong Magic Game: Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Adventure Date Played: September 22, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 10/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: 30+ Hours Price: $18.00 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Welcome to the Menagerie, a facility that houses many different exotic animals. Unfortunately, they are doing upgrades today but while you are here, you should check out the other exhibits. Maybe once you are done exploring, the Menagerie will be open and who knows what new things you can discover here. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Opening up the box, we found some premium quality playing cards with a beautiful, enigmatic card back. The deck consisted of your standard 54 cards plus 2 bonus cards. The bonus cards have a puzzle on each side. Taking a closer look at the Joker card, you will find instructions on how to begin. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This puzzle hunt is set up into different levels. Once you complete the 4 puzzles on the playing cards, it will lead you to the actual puzzle hunt. If you are familiar with Puzzled Pint, you will recognize how it is set up. There is a theme of George Fabyan’s Riverbank estate that over arches the 9 standalone puzzles. Each puzzle will have cryptic instructions on what you should do. Afterwards everything will tie into a meta puzzle. Their hint system is top notch which we absolutely appreciated. The hints will slowly nudge you over multiple hints so you can make it as easy or difficult as you want but do not be discouraged if you need a hint. The website even says this is a difficult hunt without them. You will also need the answer checker on the website. Not only will it tell you if you are correct or not, but it will provide you with what you need for the meta-puzzle. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 This is definitely a tough puzzle hunt and should not be underestimated. The puzzles mostly consisted of word puzzles, crossword style puzzles and logic puzzles and usually a combination of all three. Having vast vocabulary will be helpful but if not, Google and a dictionary will be your friend. Do not shy away from any tools you may have in your puzzling arsenal. That being said, we did have fun solving the puzzles. We did not get all the answers on our own but the “aha” moments and the satisfaction of getting some answers after pouring so much effort into them was very fulfilling. We would recommend printing it out and taking your time with this. The puzzles are non-linear and set up so you can easily put it down and pick it back up, especially if you need to step away for a little bit and get a fresh look at the puzzles. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 If you are a fan of the Saturday New York Times Crossword or expert level logic puzzles, then this game is for you. This game is absolutely not for the faint at heart. Though we were able to make it to the end, it was quite challenging. We did have to outsource some solving to multiple friends who were fairly knowledgeable at word and logic puzzles. One aspect that was nice about this game was that we were able to leave this on the kitchen table or on the nightstand and pick it up and put it down with ease. As intermediate puzzles solvers, we did take our hints liberally and would recommend others to do the same. I mean, puzzles are supposed to give you enjoyment so take as many hints as you need to have fun! Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of the game: (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 ENIGMAS by David Kwong Magic 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. #MatthewLui #AtHomeGames #Puzzlebymail #OneOffs #PuzzleCards #ENIGMAS #DavidKwong #USA

Photo above is property of The Conundrum Box Company: The Conundrum Box Game: The Orient Express Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Detective Date Played: September 23, 2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $39.99 or subscribe - $29.99/ Month, $86.99/ 3 months, $161.99/ 6 months, $299.99/ 12 months 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 We were hired by our client to impress J. D. Pritchard, a wealthy adventurer. He recently obtained the original copy of the 1001 Arabian Nights. He has invited a group of potential bidders to join him on the Orient Express and we were hoping that he'll pick us as buyers. But something unexpected happened and we are back to what we do best: solve a murder mystery and catch the killer! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ This is our second box game from "The Conundrum Box" and like we said in the previous review "Sleight of Hand", they are great with the graphics. The contents were organized in the same style as the previous game we played. This time the box contained an instruction letter, six sealed envelopes, a gameboard paper, a timetable paper, rolling stock paper, a Morse code sheet, two miniature trains,  and a bag of tokens. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The game came with a recommended Spotify playlist and theme inspired food and drink recipes (There's a Turkish Delight dessert and drink!). There was a website portal where solutions were being entered. The website also contained an easy to use tiered leveled hint system. The rules for this game was a bit different than the last one we've played. This one felt like a hybrid of a board game and puzzle box. Based on the amount of puzzles we solved (later on it became the amount of suspects we were able to eliminate), we were awarded with tokens. We were only allowed to open the sealed envelopes when we had enough tokens. There was also a train chart where we could score the game based on the time we took to get to certain locations. It was quite confusing for us so we didn't use it and played the game in leisure mode. If you feel competitive, feel free to use the scoring system where you can determine if you are a casual, intermediate or expert puzzler. As we traveled to different locations on the train to investigate the murder, a story line complimented each scene from the website. Initially it was kind of confusing as there was a common password and also solution passwords that we had to enter on the same portal but once you understood how it works, you should have no issues completing the game. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 Since this was a murder mystery theme, there was bound to be a good amount of deduction puzzles. We enjoyed the style of the game where various puzzles were tied in with different characters and only by solving the puzzle were we able to eliminate them. It would've been great to see some connection of the story line with why those guests were eliminated as suspects and not by just the solution answer. The difficulty level felt much easier than the previous game we played and most puzzles were solvable through one-step. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The highlight for us with this game was the story line. We really enjoyed the back story behind each of the characters. If we had to pick a favorite out of the two, this would definitely be our pick. The puzzles had a nice flow and we especially loved the twist at the end. The Conundrum Box also did a great job with the cliffhanger on this game. We will need to find out where we're headed next as it's definitely going to be magical! 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 experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank The Conundrum Box 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. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #TheConundrumBox #TheOrientExpress #PuzzlesByMail #Detective #Case #Mystery #Solve

Photo above is property of The Conundrum Box Company: The Conundrum Box Game: Sleight Of Hand Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Magic, Mystery Date Played: September 8, 2020 Difficulty (based on 4 players): 7/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $44.99 or subscribe - $29.99/ Month, $86.99/ 3 months, $161.99/ 6 months, $299.99/ 12 months 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It is the year 1922. The well known magician Professor Conundrum has vanished during one of his famous acts. Now, Lady Conundrum decided to reach out for your assistance to help her solve the greatest mystery of all time. Can you whittle through the puzzles and uncover his final secret? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The graphics on "The Conundrum Box" does a good job at luring us to wanting to open it right away. I was especially eager to open this one since magic is my kryptonite. The contents were very organized. There was an instruction letter, a plastic wand, a deck of cards, 4 sealed envelopes, a note, a small piece of paper and a mini poster. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The game came with a recommended Spotify playlist and theme inspired food and drink recipes (The "Icebox" cake looks quite yummy. I'll have to try it some day). We played with our friends Lisa & David from Room Escape Artists over Zoom. It actually worked out quite well given that we're able to work on different puzzles at the same time. There was a website portal where solutions were being entered. The website also contained an easy to use tiered leveled hint system. As we solve the puzzles, instructions would be given on when we were allowed to open up those sealed envelopes. It definitely had an escape room vibe where we felt like we're opening virtual locks and going through different rooms/scenes. Each time we unlocked a "scene" on the website, we were presented with either a narrative story (some felt a bit long) or a video. It was quite exciting to be able to see real magic acts incorporated in a box game. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 One thing that felt a bit different from real escape rooms was the fact of having to utilize items multiple times (although the instructions clearly stated that we would need to). As we opened the envelopes, it was quite difficult to search through the various clue papers (as they started to pile up as we opened more envelopes) as we weren't sure if we could mix them up or mark them as used. You should definitely have a large working space for this game. There was a magic puzzle that we were still confused about even with the hint provided. Perhaps the sleight of hand was done too well on the video. One of our favorite puzzles was a multi-step puzzle where we had to recreate a virtual space through the puzzle elements. It felt like we were building our own set design from scratch. One of the clue paper felt a bit skewed for one of the puzzles so it made it harder for us to come up with the solution. The search element was also quite relatable to a physical escape room. The use of illusions in certain puzzles were cleverly incorporated into the magic theme. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Although most of the story write up were fictional, certain characters in the game like Houdini, Kellar, and Thurston were actual famous magicians during the 1920s. The mixture of these factual information and the real magic performances really enhanced the narrative component of the game. We also enjoyed the utilization of the wand, magic related puzzle clues and the card deck. It was also nice to experience the various puzzle difficulty levels throughout the game. Some took us minutes and some we just had to use a hint. If you love magic and have a curious mind, this is the box for you. Who said this was going to be easy? I mean it was the last hidden secret by Professor Conundrum after all. 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 experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank The Conundrum Box 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. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #TheConundrumBox #SleightOfHand #PuzzlesByMail #Magic #Mystery #magician

Photo above is property of The Conundrum Box Company: The Conundrum Box Game: Maui's Curse Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Mystery Date Played: August 5, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited (Suggested 2-4 hrs) Price: $44.99 or subscribe - $29.99/ Month, $86.99/ 3 months, $161.99/ 6 months, $299.99/ 12 months 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It is the year 1964. Your agency has been tracking down a secret organization called C.H.A.O.S. for awhile now. This time they're threatening to activate a volcano on the beautiful island of Maui! Will you be able to save Maui from the evil hands of Professor M.? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ We've always been a fan of The Conundrum Box's illustrations. This time we were greeted by the beautiful beach and the mysterious luau girl's welcoming dance. Inside the box, there were 4 sealed envelopes (the beach, the tiki room, the lagoon and the volcano), a Hawaii pamphlet, an airline flight list, a note from professor M, a leis, and a shot glass. Who's ready to party? Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 You will probably get distracted by all of the colorful fun stuff in this box but direct yourself to the information page first. It'll give you a website that will present you with further instructions on how to play the game. This website will be where you'll input answers and receive hints/solutions. If you want to play this game the right way then go to the "extra" section on the website to receive the recommended music, food and drink list. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. The game is divided into various segments and each envelope showcases a new location that you will need to inspect. As you solve the puzzles, you'll receive the next part of the story via the website in audio and text format. The entire process was very easy to follow. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles had a mixture of difficulty level. There were some that we spotted right away and some we had to use a bit of Math and deduction skills. I really liked how The Conundrum Box is super clear on what they want as the answers. They'll specify if it's numbers or letters and how many characters right under the input box. Since there were a lot of clue materials incorporated in this puzzle, this definitely helped point the players in the right direction. Items like surf boards, ukuleles, and shot glass with local mask imprints were incorporated into this game and they all went perfectly with this island adventure. We even learned a few Hawaiian words! As we went through each place to track down professor M., we were faced with different challenges. The final one was to stop Mount Haleakalā from eruption and it was probably one of the more challenging puzzles in this game. The puzzles were mostly linear and we really enjoyed all of them. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 If you are missing those traveling days, this is definitely a game that can get you to imagine some of those ocean waves and summer breezes. The puzzles were fun yet satisfying for beginners and pros. For groups feeling competitive, award the leis to the person who solve the puzzle first. At the end of the game, calculate who got the leis the most and they'll be crowned the Lei-der. As you can see, our agent #3, "the sniffer" gladly took that title. 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 experience, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank The Conundrum Box 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. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #SubscriptionGames #PuzzlesByMail #TheConundrumBox #USA #Mystery #Detective #Hawaii #BehindTheMasterMinds