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Photos provided by Professor Puzzle Company: Professor Puzzle Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Date Played: 11/11/2020 Time: Unlimited (90 Minutes according to Professor Puzzle) Price: $24.99 Size of Team: 2+ players Game: Escape from the Grand Hotel Genre: Mystery Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6.5/10 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 The once magnificent Grand Hotel was losing its former days of glory. The Blossom's only son had no desire to take over the family business. Unexpectedly, he recently returned with a beautiful wife and now wants to take back the hotel business again. You've been invited to the grand re-opening. But is it really just a glamorous party? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The cardboard game box feels sturdy and luxurious with it's gold emblem letters and keys. Under the cover, you'll get a floor plan of the hotel. This was quite helpful when needing to visualize where the path of the story was taking us. Inside you'll find an instruction booklet, solution envelope. 8 invitations with envelopes and 9 mysterious envelopes each symbolizing a room in the hotel. Each invitation was written out to a different character. If you like to host parties, you can mail or deliver each envelope to a friend so they can come to solve puzzles in style. The 9 room envelopes contain various puzzles pieces and clues that you'll open throughout the game play. The invitations were really well made in terms of quality. The graphics for the doors and inside of the rooms (kitchen, ballroom, maid's quarters, the wine cellar, lobby, kitchen, etc...) really surprised us in terms of how real it felt. It almost had a 3D vibe. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Due to COVID, we can't have a lavish house party so we played the game the boring way with just the two of us sitting around our small coffee table. We started with reading through the instruction booklet. It provided some information on the objective, back story and the starting point (so definitely do not skip this). Once you knew where to start, open that first door to reveal your first puzzle and clue pieces. There's always going to be a narrative that will accompany every room. Be sure to read that out loud so all members of your party will be able to hear. Some of the story line will give you clear hints on what you'll be looking for. Your goal is to be able to find either the next room's name or number in order to proceed. On the top of each narration is a small line of text that will inform you if you got the correct answer or not. This solution check system was much better placed in their "Starline Express" game (below) as this one would require us to open up the door in order to see if we got it right or wrong, It kind of ruined the surprise for us if we had opened the wrong door. You'll ultimate goal was to find the truth behind the hotel reopening and we were well entertained by the storyline. If you get stuck, the first thing you should do is check the "clue" section in the envelopes. There's also an online portal with hints and solutions. A final solutions paper with ways to reassemble the game pieces was also provided. This makes the game replayable if you are considering gifting or playing it again at a later time. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 This game had more storytelling components than puzzles. There were a lot of single step puzzles that were quite easy to spot. Some took a bit more time for us but mainly because we're still unable to get the logic behind it. The tools were really cool to use with the puzzle itself but we had no idea how to reveal the answer even with the hints provided. There was one physical puzzle that was quite similar in terms of design from "Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat" from Blue Matter games. Since we've seen it before it made it easier to solve this time around. Our favorite puzzle was probably one that had a tangram feel. It could definitely be used as stand alone puzzle for guests to figure out when they are over for a visit. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The Grand hotel had a lavish look in terms of packaging and graphics. The concept was also very entertaining for us as we enjoyed the surprise every envelope opened for us. Unfortunately the puzzles were not as grand as it should have been. Some puzzles must be tweaked to have better logic sequence and smoother game play. I would still be intrigued to try out the game just by the packaging though. And the ending to the story was too good to pass. I must know what happened to the culprit! Please have a sequel! Game: Escape from the Starline Express Genre: Detective Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5/10 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It seems like the world-famous Black Widow diamond has been stolen by the notorious "Rag-Tag Crew" and currently they're traveling on the Starline Express. Playing as the role of Betty Wilson, an ambitious young crime reporter, you need to figure out who stole the diamond amongst the gang members. Finally, you will need to get them arrested before the train reaches it's final destination. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The box quality felt similar to the "Escape from Grand Hotel" game and once again the emblem look was quite nice. Inside you'll find an instruction booklet, solution envelope, and 9 mystery puzzle envelopes each symbolizing a carriage in the train. The 9 carriage envelopes contains various puzzles pieces and clues that you'll open throughout the game play. We were once again "wowed" by the graphics and the details of the rooms (engine room, observation car, sleeping cabin, baggage car, first class saloon, the dining car, control car, etc...) 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Once again we started with the instruction booklet. It gave us the first puzzle and led us to where we had to go next. There's always going to be a narrative that will accompany every room. Be sure to read that out loud so all members of your party will be able to hear. Some of the story line will give you clear hints on what you'll be looking for. The solutions will be either the name or number of the carriage. In this game, they've improved their solution check method and you no longer had to open the door. All you have to do is open a bit at the top of the door to see if you've came from the right place or not. The game flow also felt much better because of that. One other thing we really loved about this game was that it provided 2 identical puzzle pieces so Brandon and I were able to work on them simultaneously and not have to fight over them. If you get stuck, the first thing you should do is check the "clue" section in the envelopes. There's also an online portal with hints and solutions. A final solutions paper with ways to reassemble the game pieces was also provided. This makes the game replayable if you are considering gifting or playing it again at a later time. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 There was a lot more puzzles than the previous game. It was an improvement in terms of logic and had a lot more connections to the story line. And Math lovers, I got good news for you. There's plenty of Math for you in this game so get ready! 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Overall, we definitely see the improvement that Professor Puzzle did with their newest game. We are big fans of their packaging and the concept behind the game itself. With the improvements on the puzzle elements, we see great potential in their games. See you next time Professor Puzzle and I promise I'll get better at Math! Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these game: Escape from the Grand Hotel Escape from the Starline Express (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 Professor Puzzle 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 #ProfessorPuzzle #EscapefromtheGrandHotel #EscapefromtheStarlineExpress #puzzlesathome #PuzzlesByMail #detective #mystery #whodunit #murdermystery #orientexpress #puzzles #solve

Videos/ Photos provided by Professor Puzzle Company: Professor Puzzle Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Date Played: 11/11/2020 Size of Team: 1-4 Players (Ages: 12+) Time: 45 Minutes (Suggested) Price: $12.99 Game: Escape from Dead Town Genre: Horror, Zombies Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7.5/10 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 It's been 42 hours since the outbreak and it seems like our only way out is to get to the military extraction point. We should be safe there since it's a zombie-free zone. Will we be able to make it with these mindless fresh-eating zombies roaming on the streets? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Although this box is much smaller in comparison to their normal game boxes, it's still made with quality. The game box flips open allowing easy access to the contents inside and closes tightly after use. Inside you'll find instruction booklet with background story, a town map, 4 puzzle envelopes, and an exit booklet. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 You can play this game collaboratively or competitively. If you want to play collaboratively, open the game envelopes and solve all the puzzles together and come up with an agreed solution for each of the envelopes. If you want to play competitively, you should each take a puzzle envelope and do the puzzles separately. You may come up with different answers which will ultimately lead you to choose different exits. There are 12 exits in total and only one leads to safety. It could be fun to see who's the last survivor. We started off playing as separate teams but decided to combine our brain powers and finished the game as a team. Although we chose the right door, our curiosity compelled us to look under all the doors. It was nice to know we were able to escape from the other 11 horrible death scenarios. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 There were a mixture of puzzle types in this game (strategy, Math, "search and find" and construction). Although this game should only take about 45 minutes, it will depend heavily on your strengths. We are not so great with strategy puzzles so ultimately way longer and had to eventually use a hint to move on. The Math puzzle in our opinion wasn't as easy as we thought it would be either. We did breeze through the other two puzzles as it was more of our forte. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 The size and packaging of this game is great for people who wants to bring something on the go. Although we did enjoy the storyline, graphics and ending concept, we were not really into the puzzle types. This could be a personal preference but it just seems like it's missing something from the theme. It would be great to feel more of a connection between the story and the puzzle design. Perhaps we're waiting for that final zombie attack! Game: Escape from the Casino of Chaos Genre: Heist Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5.5/10 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 As we assembled our best heist team, it's time to head down to Chaos Casino to try to attempt to steal the world's largest diamond, the Hope Rock! will we be able to find the blind spot on the security cameras which will allows us to safely exit with the diamond at the end? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The packaging is the same as the above game so refer to the top for more details. In this game, you'll receive 4 puzzle envelopes, a casino floor plan, an instruction booklet and an exit booklet. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 The concept of the game play is the same as "Escape From Dead Town" so please refer to the above review for more details. The graphics for this game was pretty awesome. You're able to experience almost all of the games you'll probably see at a casino (roulette, cards, and even slots!). Like the previous game, you'll have 12 options to chose from but only one will allow you to escape safely. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 These puzzles had more visualization components and were on an easier level than Dead Town (although we still had to use hints for one of them). Knowing a little bit about poker gave us a slight upper hand on the card puzzle but you can easily solve it by studying the rules. The slot machine puzzle was quite clever as it incorporated deduction but also was able to capture the functionality of an actual slot machine. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 We enjoyed these puzzles much more than "Dead Town". They were a lot closer to the story line and added the entertainment factor that you'll get from playing at a casino. It was easier to understand and had a better flow. If you enjoy these games from Professor puzzle, they do have another one in the series that we haven't tried called "Escape From the Mall". It's great that they've created so many different themes for this series since if zombies is not your cup of tea, you can easily go for a heist or shopping! Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these game: Escape from Dead Town Escape from the Casino of Chaos (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 Professor Puzzle 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 #ProfessorPuzzle #EscapefromDeadTown #EscapefromtheCasinoofChaos #puzzlesathome #PuzzlesByMail #horror #zombies #heist #casino #oceanseleven #dawnofthedad #puzzles #solve

Photo above is property of Professor Puzzle Company: Professor Puzzle Game: Danger in the Deep Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Adventure, Spy Date Played: November 3, 2021 Difficulty (based on 1 player): 5.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 1-6 Players) (Ages 14+) Time: Unlimited (Estimated 120 mins.) Price: $24.99 (USD)/ £20.00 (UK) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You are on the hunt for an enemy spy who is believed to be on a docked submarine nearby. As you begin your investigation within the vessel, the engines activate, and you quickly realize this submarine is set out to sea to launch three deadly warheads! Now, not only do you need to find the spy, but you must also deactivate the warheads before it is too late. Just a regular day for a top-secret agent, right? Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "Danger in the Deep" comes in a bright board game style box with eye-catching graphics, bold texts, and a red film window to peer into the box. Inside there is a blueprint map of the submarine, 22 puzzle cards, a black light, a manual booklet, an “Engineering Training Manual”, a “Control Room Training Manual,” a “Living Quarters Training Manual,”, a blue envelope, and a green box. The inside of the box also has warhead shutdown panel. I really liked the look and feel of the matte pages while handling the components. Everything looked well-made and very clean. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 This game is an escape puzzle experience with a light story to guide your way. You are directed to the game manual with a bold “Read First.” You will receive the introduction to the game and a page on how to play. Essentially, the puzzle cards guide you through the game over the course of fourteen puzzles (some cards contain additional clues, story, etc). Once you have solved a puzzle, you will receive a letter or symbol. You then flip over the answer section of the game manual and scratch out the box underneath the symbol. If you are correct, a green number will show, indicating what card you must select next. If you are worried you might be out of order, the puzzles are number I – XIV once they are flipped over. If you are wrong, there will be a red box. Beside the answer key are the hints that use the similar scratch method. The first clue indicates which items in the game you need to play, the second is a direction, and the third is the solution. As you come across each puzzle you must use different parts of the game to solve so one puzzle may require one page out of the “Living Quarters Training Manual” and three pages from the “Engineering Training Manual.” I recommend looking through the booklets briefly before you begin to have better idea. You can also assign different players to be the expert of their manual to help you along. ** Note: Some components will be altered during the play-through. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles in this game provide an excellent opportunity of collaboration because they require a great deal of observational memory. As you come across a puzzle card you need to find the pages or information within the manuals that can help you move forward. The puzzles used ciphers, pattern identification, hidden messages, logic and more. These puzzles air on the side of simple in their design and I think this lends itself to game being marketed towards a wider audience. No outside information is required for the game also indicates this. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean the game is completely easy. You do really need a keen eye to catch a lot of details. I found myself utilizing the first hint quite a bit to ensure I had all the details I needed. I found the linear format of the puzzling to be executed successfully in this game. Each time you solved there was tension building but also the feeling of success as you moved through the submarine. There were a couple puzzles I wish there had been an extra clue or two. The solution and clue reveal formats were different from what I usually have in games, but I felt it worked. This game is not meant to be replayed so the reveal format makes sense. Photos above are properties of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Danger in the Deep" provided a thrilling spy mission where a careful eye and teamwork can help save the world! I felt the light storyline guided players throughout the game in a concise way while still providing great theming. The mixture of puzzles in this game also aid new and experienced players alike. The hint system could have a bit more to it but if you have enough variety in your team, you’ll be fine. This is the kind of game that is perfect for a game night with friends and family as well as being a strong competitor to introductory escape puzzle games. If you enjoy spy missions and hunting for clues, then this is a perfect option! Take on the task of stopping the enemy spy and see if you can stop the warheads! (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 Professor Puzzle 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 #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #ProfessorPuzzle #Submarine #Adventure #Spy #UnitedKingdom

Photo above is property of Professor Puzzle Company: Professor Puzzle Game: Curse of the Dark Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Monster, Cursed Village Date Played: August 7, 2022 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 7/10 Size of Team: 1-6 Players (Ages 14+) Time: 2.5-4 Hrs. Price: $28.99 USD 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You are a well-known investigator who receives a mysterious note, begging for your assistance! Villagers are reporting that their mountain village of Mordengraf has been besieged by a monster that lives in the local castle and has been preying on townsfolk. You are intrigued by the bizarre accusations and head there to see if you can uncover the truth behind these rumors. Will you be able to find the “monster,” save the villagers, and escape yourself? Or will you be the next to fall prey to this mysterious creature…? While this game is heavier on the puzzling than the narrative, there is a cohesive story that develops over the course of the experience. It does feel a bit jumpy or incomplete at times, but overall it does a nice job of leading you through the castle and your discoveries. At the end, you will have a choice to make, one aspect of which could irk some players. However, this will lead you to reflect on the story, what you've learned, and how you personally want to handle the situation you've uncovered. It gave us a few extra moments to appreciate the game and take one last pass through the well thought-out materials. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "Curse of the Dark" looks fantastic on the table, particularly by the end of the game! Inside the box you'll find the rule book, a journal, a deck of small cards, tile pieces, a decoder wheel, and a variety of other items that you discover along the way. Both the tiles and many of the cards have highly detailed and appropriately ominous artwork…just what you might expect to see next time you break into a strangely dark and apparently deserted castle! The color palette is varied while remaining on theme - it's not one of those 'every castle room is dark and foggy' types of experiences. It's worth taking some time to examine the tiles and cards both to appreciate the artwork, as well as to find key details that you might otherwise overlook. And while you largely build out as you play, there are also some striking three-dimensional components that build up, enhancing the scene. You will need a decently sized table to accommodate everything. They say you need an 85cm x 85cm play area (~33 x 33in); that is just for the castle tiles themselves. It’s nice to be able to spread out and have room for all the extras! Most of the components are very high-quality, particularly given the price point. The tiles are very thick and sturdy, just like you would hope a castle would be! The cards, decoder wheel, booklets, and some of the other items also seem very well-produced. Unfortunately, there were a few items that felt a bit flimsier, either just being hard to keep in shape or actually tearing. One was just a minor annoyance, but another led to some inconsistency or imprecision in one of the puzzles. This was pretty much our only criticism of the game as a whole; though, for the cost, you might actually expect more cheap components and fewer of the really high-quality ones that make up the majority in the box. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Throughout "Curse of the Dark", you are venturing into and exploring Castle Mordengraf. There are 22 puzzles to solve along the way! Each time you solve a puzzle, you will be told to draw tiles and/or cards. Each tile represents a part of the landscape, which will be added to the table in front of you. Some cards are also part of the village or castle, while others contain story text, puzzles, pictures, or other information. At some points, you may also be directed to grab some of the other items from the box. Read everything carefully! What appears to be exposition may also contain instructions and clues. Cards and tiles themselves may also direct you to take additional cards or tiles, so be sure to examine them thoroughly. A flashlight is also needed at times. The answer to each puzzle is a symbol, which you will look up in the rule book. You will then scratch off the area under the symbol that you have selected to see if you are correct, and which cards/tiles to access if you are. The game is divided into two sections of ~90 minutes each; we played the first half in 1:42 and the second in 1:36 (plus ~5 minutes for setup each time). It is intended to be a one-time experience, with a number of components that need to be altered. You'll want your elementary school skill set for more than one puzzle!! We know many folks enjoy these aspects, and there is something to be said for experiencing the game precisely as the designers intended. While it is possible to avoid making any permanent changes in order to pass the box on, doing so does feel a bit more cumbersome at times than for many other games. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 We generally found the puzzles in this game to be satisfying, logical, and often creative! As mentioned above, there is one puzzle that relied on manipulating some thin cardboard pieces in their stands. The looseness in the stands and the flimsiness of the cardboard made this one a bit more imprecise than it could have been, though we were able to work things out in the end without any hints. There was one other puzzle where one aspect seemed slightly unclear, but the ambiguity didn't impact our ability to solve it. Overall we felt it was a strong game from a puzzling perspective, with no leaps of logic or major guesswork required! With 22 puzzles included, there is plenty of variety, including some nice physical manipulation aspects. We also appreciated that there is a smoothly graduated hint and solution system in the rulebook. It starts by just telling you which components you need to use for the puzzle, which was sufficient for us in the two cases we used hints. (Silly errors on our part both times!) There is one online component requiring a QR code scanner; while musicians will gravitate to it, non-musicians will find it clearly explained, and all will appreciate the option to incorporate your device into a thematic component of the game itself for a more immersive experience. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "Curse of the Dark" was a lot of fun and definitely a game that we recommend. While we tend to enjoy most games with 2 people, and 6 players could be a bit much, the large play area and many items involved in gameplay does make this one more appropriate for larger groups than many tabletop games - possibly a costume or Halloween party! While it is recommended for 14+, there is nothing content-wise that really would preclude younger players in the 10+ range, other than a mildly creepy theme. While the puzzles vary in difficulty and could be challenging, the comprehensive hint and solution system does make it more accessible to less experienced players. Overall, for those like us who particularly value puzzles over extensive narrative, who appreciate the creation of an entire 3D scene on your table, and/or who just want to explore a creepy castle together (and try to save the village!), this one might be right up your alley! It would also make a great gift for someone who likes spooky puzzles and adventures. HINT: Don’t assume things are only used once…We also recommend playing the game in a cooler environment (not in the middle of a heat wave)! Check out our interview with the creator to understand more on the development side of this 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 Professor Puzzle 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. #DaveBristol #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #Monsters #ProfessorPuzzle #UnitedKingdom

Photos provided by The Fantastic Factory (Manufactured by Golden Bear) Company: The Fantastic Factory (Distributed by Golden Bear) Game: Trapped Escape Room Game Packs: The Bank Job Country: United Kingdom 🇬🇧 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Heist, Action Date Played: 11/4/20 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 3/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 2-6 players, Ages 8+). Time: Unlimited (or use self timer). Approximately 1-2 hours of game play. Price: $21.99 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 Our intel just informed us that a shipment of gold has just been delivered to the SOVO Bank. It's being locked in a secure vault and guarded by heavy surveillance. We have 60 minutes to figure out a way to crack the safe and get out of there with our gold! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game came packaged in a travel size pocket bag. The paper bag could also be turned into a clipboard (clip included) so you could use it as a writing space as you roam around the room looking for clues. We were surprised by how many items came out of that little bag. There were: 1 instruction booklet, 1 book of clues, 1 clue reader, 1 SOVO Bank envelope, 1 Bank vault lock, 4 posters, 19 puzzle cards, 15 pressure sensors, 3 wobblers, 1 double sided sticky tape sheet, and 1 bulldog clip. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Following the game set-up instruction, we were able to turn our living room into an escape room. We use the double sided tape to put posters and puzzle cards in different areas of the room, hung the vault lock on a door, put the SOVO bank envelope inside the room and placed the pressure sensors. You'll need a scissor for some parts of the puzzle. It's best to cut those game pieces before starting the game. When everything is ready to go, we started the timer and went on hunting for clues like we would do in a real escape room. The graphics for the puzzles really made us feel like we're in a real bank. There were surveillance cameras, security schematics, bank vaults, safe boxes, and pressure sensors. It would've been nice if they had an option for some background music to intensify the experience (especially for the sensor part where I felt like I was playing an intense game of "Hopscotch" or "Twister" to get through security). 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzles were quite easy so kids could definitely have a lot of fun with this game. We didn't use any clues and was able to finish the game in well under an hour. We found that it was easier to solve the puzzles by taking down posters and clues that were associated with each other (I hope that did not count as cheating!). There were some decoding, pattern recognition and simple logic problems. If you are stuck, there's a clue booklet that you can use to guide you through solving the puzzles step by step. We liked how there's a clue decoder so you won't mistakenly see the answers right away. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This was the first tabletop game where we felt like it did not bind us to the table. We're very active throughout the game with searching and putting together clues. I even broke a little sweat during the pressure sensor part. It was a lot of fun to be able to set up an escape room at your own home these days since we haven't been able to travel to play at physical locations. We can't wait to be out and about again soon but for now, keep these games coming! (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 The Fantastic Factory and Golden Bear 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 #TheFantasticFactory #GoldenBear #TrappedEscapeRoomPacks #TheBankJob #puzzlesathome #PuzzlesByMail #BoardGames #TabletopGames #heist #adventure #heist

Videos/ Photos provided by The Escape Game Company: The Escape Game Game: Escape From Iron Gate Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Board Game 📬 Genre: Prison Date Played: 10/6/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4/10 Size of Team: 3-8 Players (Ages 13+) Time: Unlimited Price: $40.00 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 "Iron Gate" was inspired by The Escape Game's physical escape room "Prison Break". Your goal in this game is to be the first to escape the prison as there's only one of you that'll make it out. Ready ? Set? Go! 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game came packaged in a cardboard box with cool visual graphics of a prison surrounded by fences and of course, an iron gate. In the box, you'll have a ton of goodies for you to discover. There's 1 game board, 1 escape manual, 2 reference cards, 44 rare items cards, 50 common items cards, 300 puzzle cards, 150 action cards, 50 lucky cards, 40 gate cards, 1 decoder card, 8 players tokens, 2 symbol dice, 4 crafts dice, 1 drawing pad, 2 pencils and a 30 second timer. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Personally when I see instruction booklets of over 5 pages of reading on game rules, I feel defeated even before starting the game. I'm so glad this game provided an option for a video instruction (video below). We also did an unboxing (video below) and a bit of game play so hopefully that would make setting up and playing the game a bit easier for you guys. After placing all the game pieces at it's designated locations, each player will be dealt with 3 common cards and 4 gate cards (1 from each gate). Everyone starts at the same position on the START section of the game board. The youngest player roll the dices first. There are only three outcomes: AA, PP or AP. These outcomes will instruct the player to take two cards on their turn (either lucky/action, lucky/puzzle, or puzzle/action). Follow the cards instructions and read the reference card on what you are allowed to do with each of the cards. In this game, you'll have to use some strategy if you want to be the first to escape. You'll need a common item and a rare item in order to pass each gate. Remember to trade with other players and with the commissary to get the items you need! 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 The puzzle cards are not your typical logic or escape room type of puzzles. They were more in the trivia category. You'll encounter some word play proverbs, visualization, riddles, decoding, logic in the "puzzle cards" deck. If you drew an "action card", you'll have to either draw or act. Personally those are my favorites as they remind me of Pictionary and Charades (which are two of my top choices when it comes to family board game nights). 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 We haven't played a board game or strategy game in a long time. I think the last strategy game we remembered playing was "The Settlers of Catan"! This game was much less "gruesome" when it comes to trading or begging for items we needed from each other. It was also much easier to accomplish since you are not only relying on your teammates to acquire your items. The puzzle cards were a hit or miss since it's not really a puzzle per se and sometimes categories may need prior knowledge. Brandon knew a lot more proverbs than me since he was born in the States and heard of them before so it definitely was a disadvantage if I got those cards. But good thing I made it up in the decoding/logic category! The action cards were definitely more fun because anyone could give it their best shot even if their drawings were first grade quality (like mine) or never acted in their lives before. This game is definitely replay-able and if you like a mixture of Charades, Pictionary, and Trivia Pursuit mixed in with a tad of strategy, you might want to give it a shot! Video Instructions on How to Play 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 The Escape Game for providing us with a sample of the game. Although complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOMers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #TheEscapeGate #EscapeFromIronGate #DigitalEscapeGames #Prison #Adventure #BoardGame #PuzzlesByMail #strategy #charades #pictionary #trivia #triviapursuit

Photos provided by Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Company: Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Game: Double Major Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Detective Date Played: 8/26/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $155 US ($200 elsewhere) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 One day, we received a mysterious letter. It was addressed to me but none of the content made sense and sounded more like a scam. A week later, I received a second letter with someone pleading for my help. Few weeks later, a box full of unrelated artifacts was shipped to me and this time, it seemed like I needed to dig in a bit deeper. We knew that this box came from a student in an university but what does he have to do with me and how were these items relate to the missing persons incidences around campus? Hopefully we'll be able to decipher these clues and find out the truth behind it all. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The first item we received was a letter. There was a few documents in there that serviced as the story build up tool. A week later, we got another letter in the mail. The week after that we received a large box full of items that felt a bit overwhelming yet exciting at the same time. Some intriguing items included a fortune cookie, a heart shaped paper weight, a journal, some recipes, etc...It actually really reminded me of the days when I was packing my items up from my college at the end of a semester. There was a bit of everything and none of them seemed to be useful but I hoarded them all. After the box, there was another letter that would give you some sense of direction on what to do with all your findings. Finally, you'll get a conclusion letter to tie up story. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We quite enjoyed this type of game set up. It got us hooked onto the story but didn't bombard us with hours of puzzles (well maybe except the box part). Each mailing served its purpose and eventually we were able to tie everything together. One thing we kind of got confused about was how we were supposed to play the game. Since there were obvious "surprises" included in the items, we discovered some prior to solving puzzles. When we actually solved some of the puzzles, we had already acted on the solution. Normally we're not good searchers but for some reason, we're just spot on with this "hunt". It did take away some elements of "wow" since it wasn't through solving an actual puzzle but it was still very cool to think of these concepts. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 This game was full of ciphers. If you love to decode messages and search for hidden gems, you'll have a blast with this game. We had to use the hint system multiple times. There were definitely a lot of ciphers we haven't even heard before. It was a great learning experience for us. Since there wasn't not much guidance with this game in terms of what you should do first, we had many "duh" moments. At one point we thought perhaps we were suppose to light something up due to a correlation and almost set our apartment fire alarm on. Ops! Can you imagine the embarrassing moment when the firefighter comes into the apartment and we have to tell them that we're playing a puzzle game? So just in case this happens to you, I would definitely suggest checking the online hint system at least to make sure you're on the right track. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 This game was probably our favorite out of the three mainly because of the similarity we found with an escape room (the searching, correlations and various types of puzzles). There was also more humor elements added to the game (especially in the journal). Personalization of the entire game with my name and birthday definitely earned a lot of brownie points. I felt like the story was written for me and I was a real character in it. We also enjoyed feeling much smarter after the game after learning so many different types of ciphers. We recommend taking notes especially since the packages come in separate times so it would be a lot easier to jog your memory. If you are computer savvy, this FREE online whiteboard (Miro) is great at helping you create a story board. It's actually quite difficult to pick a favorite because all three games are so different so probably it's best to just try all of them. Now that we've traveled around the world, solved missing persons mystery and even relinquished some demons, where to next Crack-a-Nut Mysteries? 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 Crack-a-Nut Mysteries 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 #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #CrackaNutMysteries #DoubleMajor #PuzzlesByMail #BoardGames #SciFi #Detective #Mystery #WhoDunIt? #Supernatural

Photos provided by Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Company: Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Game: Root of all Evil Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Horror Date Played: 7/18/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $155 US ($200 elsewhere) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 One day you received a mysterious crate and its been nailed shut. Out of curiosity you opened it and discovered an old journey and other peculiar objects. It looks like you'll have to follow the clues and discover the story behind a newly ordained priest and perhaps even encounter some demons along the way. Are you up for the challenge to locate the ritual and save the soul of the damned? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game came in a well made wooden box that was nailed shut. Normally, we are very careful with our games just like how we would treat props in an escape room so we didn't want to use brutal force. Good thing we asked the creator if we were actually suppose to pry open the top or else that "puzzle" alone on how to get into the box would take us hours (definitely watching too much Chris Ramsay). Right after we opened the box, we found some moss looking material like the box was just dug up from the grounds. It even smelled ancient! The first item that caught our eyes was the old journal. We loved the font choice and the aged paper look. In fact, besides the "Root Of All Evils" postcard and a "Do not open" epilogue envelope, all the rest of the items in the box felt like they were from the 18th century. The peculiar items (which was quite obvious that they'll be used in some form of a ritual later) included various jewelries, newspaper clippings, old photos, a chalice, holy water, a bible, cross and even "blood"! For anyone who's a scaredy-cat like me, I do not recommend playing this game at night. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 After looking through all the items, it was clear there's only one starting point, the old journal. I started to read it out loud while Brandon (a bibliophobe) sat back and relaxed with a beer in his hand. At first, I was getting tired of having to read through the entire journey on my own but the story definitely got more intriguing especially when you can correlate the peculiar items with story line. We would've loved if the game could incorporate an audio option where we could follow along while the character read the journal. This would would definitely enhance the immersion and it would be also be easier to incorporate a larger group that perhaps would like to join in and play over video conferencing. There were obvious ciphers and clues that needed solving but the hidden Easter eggs were lovely to discover if you missed it during game play. This game focused more on story telling versus the puzzle aspect so even though we missed an egg, we were still able to complete the game. You'll have an online guide if you are in need of hints. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 We learned a new cipher in this game and it was exciting to be able to slowly reveal the truth with it. There was a good amount of usage of the same cipher which we felt were a bit repetitive but if you're thinking from the story perspective, perhaps the creator wanted to keep it consistent. There were two confusing puzzles to us where the written clues were not matching up with the way that we needed to solve the puzzle but with the hint, we're able to get through it. This game did not have as much puzzles as their two other games: "S.O.U.P" and "Double Major" but it's still worthwhile for the story alone. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 I'm a big fan of murder mystery and horror themed stories. This game was able to capture both! This was actually the first eerie, scary type of puzzle box game we've played and instantly we became fans. From the physical design to the story line of the game, I felt like I was seeing a movie being played in front of me. I was there at the Asylum, the eerie tree, the sounds, etc...There were many "goosebumps" moments and many times I had to look over my shoulder and ask: "Who's there?". Brandon thought I'm paranoid but I had to make sure I did the final ritual exactly as I was told. I definitely didn't want any creepy demon's lurking around us. This was how real the game felt to me. 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 Crack-a-Nut Mysteries 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 #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #CrackaNutMysteries #RootOfAllEvil #PuzzlesByMail #BoardGames #Mystery #Detective #Exorcist #Supernatural

Photos provided by Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Company: Crack-a-Nut Mysteries Game: S.O.U.P. (The Society for the Observation of Unknown Phenomena) Country: USA 🇺🇸 Language: English Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Sci-Fi Date Played: 7/19/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 4.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: $87 US/$97 CAN/$102 Everywhere else (includes shipping) 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 If you are tired of your boring life and want to travel the world for a change, join S.O.U.P. You'll be taken on a journey of your life time to exotic places, research lost legends, investigate the unknown, and they even promise you a job after. As if that wasn't enough, you're also being assigned as a "detective" to dig out the dirt behind S.O.U.P.'s headquarters. Are you up for the challenge? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ The game came in a thick Fedex envelope. Inside there were one intro letter, one postcard, five color coded assignment envelopes and finally a sealed letter-sized envelope. Each assignment packet had an intro letter along with an assignment letter. There were various clue props included within the envelopes. We were very excited to receive our very own personalized S.O.U.P. membership cards and a pin in the first assignment's welcome packet. 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 We loved how organized the game was. It was very easy to follow either the color correlation or context to where we needed to go next. There was a little notepad for you to take notes while you're in the "field". The game truly made you feel like you were an agent on various missions. One minute you could be in a remote village in Hungary and the next, you'll be in the desert sands of Libya. Even though there was a lovely meta puzzle that integrated the story together, we quite enjoy the mini puzzles along the way. Since the story was referencing back to a lot of historical findings or strange ancient tales, clues like ancient manuscripts and taro cards really enhanced the immersion. Just when we thought we've completed all the assignments and completed the game, we were surprised with a final exam. It was a great way to tie the story together and also spiced up the ending with a twist. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 You'll be surprised by how many little hidden finds you'll discover in this game. We enjoyed the common cipher puzzles but our favorites were the ones that we haven't seen in awhile. Things you wouldn't think was a puzzle would eventually "wow" you at the end. There were moments where we felt that the game had a "chose your own adventure" vibe and other times where we followed strict orders in order to complete a mission. Some puzzles were as simple as piecing scrap together where others have multi-steps that would mix your skills of logic, deductive reasoning and even a bit of Math. We were quite stuck on one puzzle and even with the cluing (there's a self guided hint system online if you do get stuck) we were confused with how we got the answer at the end. But majority of the puzzles were very entertaining and kept us going at a steady speed. 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 If you are like us and love to open envelopes to see what surprises are contained inside, you'll have a lot of fun with this game. There are lots of envelopes for you to open and every envelope is a different flavor. S.O.U.P's taste could go from mild to spicy in a moment's time pending on where the puzzles" takes" you. We love the different ingredients (puzzles, props, story lines, imagination, etc...) that were thrown together to create the ultimate "S.O.U.P dish". You'll definitely find something in there that's to your liking. Maybe you won't undergo the same "taste" sensation as your teammates, but that's the beauty of S.O.U.P. Everyone will acquire their own unique experience at the end! 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 Crack-a-Nut Mysteries 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 #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #CrackaNutMysteries #SOUP #SocietyfortheObservationofUnknownPhenomena #PuzzlesByMail #BoardGames #SciFi #Detective #Mystery #XFiles #Fringe #Supernatural

Videos/ Photos provided by ARGYX Games Company: ARGYX Games Game: Legacy - Hellas Country: France 🇫🇷 Language: English/ French Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Adventure Date Played: 7/3/2020 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5.5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited Time: Unlimited Price: €49 on Kickstarter "LEGACY: Quest for a Family Treasure" is ARGYX Games's newest Kickstarter project. The story of the game is based in Marseille, France in Fall of 2019. One day you received a mysterious box containing a letter from your estranged father. He had left a family treasure hidden somewhere in Europe and you'll have to follow the clues he had left you in order to earn this inheritance. There are two parts to the LEGACY game. "Eiffel 1889" takes about 2-3 hours of play time and will have more puzzles and material to look through. "Hellas" is the second part of the game and will only take about 1 hour to complete. We only received the demo version of "Hellas" so our review will be focused on the second part of the game. In the demo we received a map, pamphlets, photos, letters, cardboard 3D glasses, and 2 miniature items. We were informed by the developer that the final version will have improved graphics and documents, glass message bottle with a cork top and a pretty game box! The materials were quite colorful and some appeared to have a sense of mystery. It was quite easy to "lure" us into the game. We received instructions on where to start (which was quite helpful especially given how much materials there were in the demo version already) and found out that we needed to use the internet quite quickly. The external game link was quite easy to use and it was mainly used to enter answers and use the self guided hints. The embedded music made us feel like we were in a little French town on the seaside. Once you solve the first puzzle, it was quite easy to find certain icons that were associated with the next puzzle. The game also gave you instructions on what was your next mission. There was one icon we noticed that was missing in the demo so we have informed the developer to add it to the final game. One puzzle was quite hard to visualize (Brandon and a few of our blogger friends all had a hard time with it. I had to solve that puzzle on my own). Perhaps print the clues a bit darker for people with impaired visions. We really liked the miniature items that were used on several puzzles. It was nice to not feel like all the puzzles were "search and find" types. We love these little intricate pieces as they were what makes a game memorable. We finished part 2 in about 40 minutes or so and truly enjoyed every bit of the "hunt". As part 1 and 2 are connected in terms of the story line, we are curious to see how part 1 ended. Part 2 also needed a more conclusive ending which the developer said they'll definitely provide in the final version. The finished product will contain (according to their kickstarter website) 40 realistic objects and documents: 8-page newspaper, letters, postcards, photographs, a A3-treasure map, the map of the Paris World Fair, glass bottle, chess pieces, miniatures items (watch, shovel...), book page, business card, pen, sliding puzzle, cardboard 3D glasses... and even a 3D Eiffel Tower! We would probably buy the game for the box alone! The kickstarter will end on August 2nd so if you want to get the game on a discount, remember to back it now! (If you do decide to try this game, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank ARGYX Games for providing us with a demo of the game. Although a complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOMers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #ARGYXGames #Hellas #Legacy #PuzzlesByMail #BoardGames #Adventure #kickstarter #boardgamereview

Photo above is property of ARGYX Games Company: ARGYX Games Game: Mystery Poster 1: A Greek Life Country: France 🇫🇷 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Puzzles by Mail Date Played: August 22, 2022 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 6/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Recommend 1-3 Players) Time: Unlimited (Approximately 2-3 Hrs.) Price: €13.00 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 As you open the door and enter into what was once your great grandfather’s office, you are welcomed by a room full of random oddities. Some more rare than others but each high in sentimental value that you are sure. Most of the items look Greek in origin but others are a testament to hobbies and interests your great grandfather had, like photography and music. All the effects though, represent the story and tell the tale of your great grandfather, Jules Daumier. Wanting to teach you more about your family, you father designed a puzzle connecting the pieces found in this room and Jules’ story for you to learn about his life. 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ Unfolding the poster to its full size of A1 (or 59.1cm x 84.1cm for those outside Europe), you find a collage of items, photographs, and cryptic messages on the poster. On the bottom corner is a QR code to help start your exploration. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Unfolding the poster, you can find a QR code on the bottom corner of this inquisitive poster. Scanning it will take you to a webpage that will introduce the back story to you and onboard you to the game. You can then go to the webpage that recounts the life of your great grandfather, Jules Daumier. The recounting though will be missing information from the story, which you can learn from solving the puzzles. There were not too many twists in the story but it felt right for the game. We were not looking for some deep, dark family secret but simply learning the believable life tale of our great grandfather. One thing that this game lacked though was a more definitive ending. Once we solved all the puzzles and were able to piece together the full story, we were hoping for a wrap up and outro. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 An attention to detail is a must for these puzzles. For the most part, they required us to make connections to different pieces on all sides of the poster and figure out how to work with them, usually through similarities or notes. There were a couple of puzzles that required some research that we did have trouble finding the answers even though we knew what to search but for the most part, all the puzzles were solid. There is a link to the hint system in the game which also has each puzzle ranked by difficulty. The hints were tiered in a gradual way that was well done. For the more difficult puzzles, there were more hints than the easier ones, which felt like we were never merely given the answers. The hint system also ranks each puzzle by difficulty. Though the order of the puzzles are not in order of difficulty, ARGYX recommends starting from easiest to hardest, which we would as well. There was a point as well that we just started making connections and followed them to see where we ended up. You will need access to internet and will need some outside knowledge to solve the puzzles, but we felt the game did a good job in cluing us to do so. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 Though story light, "A Greek Life" has a realistic memoir which made it feel more immersive for us. This game was puzzle heavy which had us racking our minds, trying to make connections, with some satisfying eureka moments when we were able to break through. This game was just a poster, but it felt like there was a full box of artifacts that we got to sift though and discover what mysteries they each held. This would be a great game for any history buffs, people who have a love of anything Greek or even those who are itching to travel to a new place. We would recommend this as a game for intermediate puzzles solvers and for people who love puzzle hunts. The game does recommend only 1-3 people but if you lay the poster out on a big enough table, you could probably squeeze a few more people around it. The poster was beautifully and enigmatically crafted and would definitely start a conversation with any visitors seeing it hung up in your house, where then you could tell them the story of your great grandfather Jules Daumier. 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 ARGYX Games 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 #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #OneOffs #ARGYXGames #France

LOCATION: New York City, New York, USA Photo above is property of Exit Escape Room NYC Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: The Mission 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 6, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Mission 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 7/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up To 8 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: $28.00/ pp ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public/Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes We booked "The Mission" room last minute on a weeknight and they were extremely accommodating. The place is not that big, but they definitely utilize their space efficiently. The room designers are big on making their props seem very real, especially inside this room. One thing we noticed that could've used an update, was the AC unit. The condensation from the unit was leaking water onto one of the props that contained clues. The two of us escaped with minutes to spare, so it's definitely doable with a small group. We couldn't hear so well on one of the devices so if they made the volume a little bit louder that would greatly help with one of the clues. There was some new tech implemented into this room that we've haven't encountered before which we found interesting. We really enjoyed the storyline here as it really followed the theme and played well w/ the set design. Photos above are property of Exit Escape Room NYC *** We regret to inform this game is no longer available for booking but check out other games on their website*** #CiciCao #IRLEscapeRooms #EscapeRoom #ExitEscapeRoomNYC #Espionage #Spy #NYC #USA

LOCATION: New York City, New York, USA Photo above is property of Exit Escape Room NYC Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 📝  ETR DECODER 🔑 GAME: High Speed NYC 📅 DATE PLAYED: August 18, 2019 🎬 GENRE: Thriller, Action 🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10 👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: Up To 8 ppl 🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 60 Mins. 💰 PRICE: $30.00/ pp ☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public/Private 🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes This is not our first time at Exit Escape Room NYC. We are excited to return to try two of their rooms today. The first room that we are trying is “High Speed NYC” which is available at both their old and new location (we are playing at this room at their old location). Currently this location (the old one) has three rooms (the other two being “Operation Dive” and “The Mission”). This location is in an office-like complex with an elevator and they are located on the 7th floor. When you enter the lobby of Exit Escape Room NYC, it's quite small but the two rooms that we’ve tried are pretty spacious in terms of size. We feel that the best number of players for the games are between 3-4 people, although we were able to successfully escape with just the two of us. Our story began with us touring NYC on a lovely day until we hopped onto a train that has been abandoned by the conductor. We must figure out how to activate the emergency system to stop the train before it’s too late! Once we’ve been debriefed on the situation, our time started immediately.  “High Speed NYC” had a great idea to incorporate the iconic NYC subway as a design set as we felt very at home here. As a native New Yorker, we know exactly what we are supposed to do on a busy train which helped us with a lot of the puzzles.   Everything is built in-house here by the owners, so it was impressive to see the details being incorporated. The subway chairs and metal rods felt like it was taken from a real subway line (no wonder I thought I saw some missing chairs on the 1 line the other day…ahem…). They are very big on reasoning here on the set design and puzzles where it has to make sense why a certain prop or a puzzle is being incorporated. For instance, if I’m on a train and I’m stuck, there wouldn’t be a toilet plunger lying around for me to use. Because of that, the game flow went very well. The only thing we can suggest making this more immersive would be maybe to add tv screens on the subways to resemble the passing time and stations. It would be cool to feel the “movement” visually other than sound. The mag locks placements were great as it was very obviously where certain object was revealed. We did have a little “wow” moment when we realized that there was still a lot to do as the game progressed so definitely make sure your time check is in place! So far this is our favorite room there and we can’t wait to try their newest room - "Sugar Rush" next at their new location! Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers If you do decide to try this room, please remember to let them know that "ESCAPETHEROOMers" sent you! Disclosure: We thank Exit Escape Room NYC for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #IRLEscapeRooms #EscapeRoom #ExitEscapeRoomNYC #Thriller #Action #NYC #USA

Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Company: Schiffer Publishing Language: English Country: USA 🇺🇸 Type of Game: Puzzles By Mail 📬 Genre: Action, Adventure Time: Unlimited Size of Team: Unlimited (8-12 years old) Date Played: 3/20/2020 Price: $9.99 Schiffer Publishing currently offers 4 Escape Game Adventure books for kids to play at home. Here are our thoughts on "The Mad Hacker" & "The Last Dragon". "The Last Dragon" & "The Mad Hacker" were a new category of puzzle books that Schiffer Publishing came out for kids ages 8-12. This was the perfect timing for the release since most kids were being homeschooled. These puzzle books seemed to be a great option for activities outside of school work. The story line for these books all revolved around time traveling. For "The Mad Hacker" we traveled into the year 2394 and for "The Last Dragon" we were transported back to the 12th century. In both cases we successfully saved the day and became heroes! I feel no shame at claiming our victory with these kids books as they were not as easy as they seemed. Parents should definitely join in the fun and complete these together with the kids. We also gave away a bunch of books to different kids of the age group to try and all of them came back with positive feedback. They enjoyed solving the different types of puzzles (mazes, decoding, DIY jigsaw, etc. ) and loved the beautiful color illustrations! "The Mad Hacker" "The Last Dragon" (If you do decide to try this book, please remember to let them know that you heard it from"ESCAPETHEROOMers"!) Disclosure: We thank Schiffer Publishing for providing us with samples of their puzzle books. Although complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #ESCAPETHEROOMers #AtHomeGames #EscapeRooms #SchifferPublishing #EscapeGame #TheMadHacker #TheLastDragon #PuzzlesByMail #Adventure #puzzlebook #bymail

Photo above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers Company: Society of Curiosities Game: The Fairy Tale Files: The Cinderella Murders Country: Canada 🇨🇦 Language: English Type of Game: Tabletop Games 📬 Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Date Played: April 30, 2021 Difficulty (based on 2 players): 5/10 Size of Team: Unlimited (Suggested 1-4 Players, ages 12+) Time: Unlimited (Suggested 45-90 Mins) Price: $22.00 🆃🅷🅴 🆂🆃🅾🆁🆈 You've received a letter from the Magical Mishaps Agency. Inspector Lepoof is in need of your assistance on Cinderella's stepmother and stepsister's murder case. Who could have done this? Is it our most obvious suspect Cinderella? 🆃🅷🅴 ❞🅻🅾🅾🅺🆂❞ "The Fairy Tale Files: The Cinderella Murders" came in a small notebook size envelope. I was actually quite surprised by its size as I've seen many photos from other players posted online and expected it to be a regular letter size envelope but it turn out to be so cute. It's a great option for a "on the go" type of game. Although it's small in size, you'll find lots of goodies inside: 4 suspect cards, 7 adventure cards, a crime scene picture, the Fairyland Chronicles newspaper, a letter from the Magical Mishaps Agency, and an evidence pack. Photos above are property of Society of Curiosities 🆃🅷🅴 🅶🅰🅼🅴 🅿🅻🅰🆈 Before opening or reading anything from the game, you'll be directed to a website. Inspector Lepoof is the field agent and you will be communicating with him through the online portal. This is where you'll investigate and input answers. The website is also paired with optional ambience music. If you know me (love everything Disney), you would've guessed that I blasted that music throughout the game play. Every good inspector knows that the first place to go when there's a murder is the crime scene. Once you follow the instruction and collected all the evidence, then you're be able to investigate various locations the victims have gone to and talk with different people that might have seen them. Only the correct trigger words will allow you to go further. 🆃🅷🅴 🅿🆄🆉🆉🅻🅴🆂 This game is more narrative based than puzzle heavy. There are essentially 7 mini puzzles that you'll need to solve in order to find more information on where and who you'll need to investigate next. I love the riddles and the puns that were embedded throughout the game. I just remember saying "ASS" repeatedly for like the a good 3 minutes. It was definitely a memorable moment for us. Your "puzzles" are essentially the evidences and alibis that you'll gather as you read and examine the clues on the paper documents you've received in the mail combined with the conversations you've had with inspector Lepoof. Finally you'll need to use deduction in order to find the real culprit. Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 🅲🅻🅾🆂🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 "The Fairy Tale Files: The Cinderella Murders" combined my two favorite things into one dream game. I love murder mystery and anything Disney! The beautiful illustrations were dabbed with just the right amount of eeriness. The portraits of the suspects, the fun stories on the Fairyland Chronicles, and detailed map and location images made this imaginary world come to live. I thoroughly enjoyed this hour of fun and secretly wished that it would last longer...Maybe there's a happily ever AFTER AFTER? Check out our interview with the creators to understand more on the development side of these game: Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers 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 Society of Curiosities for providing us with a sample of this game. Although complimentary experience was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever. #CiciCao #AtHomeGames #TabletopGames #PuzzlesByMail #SocietyOfCuriosities #FairyTale #Mystery #Canada