FlashbackEscape Room in a BoxEscape roomTabletopI thought this was really cleverly designed! For one of the earlier escape room in a box experiences, I think they did well in throwing puzzles and story that immerse you into the flashback theme. There’s a creative mechanic toward the end of the experience that I hadn’t seen in any other experiences (boxed game or otherwise), and it made for a satisfying end to the series of puzzles to solve. It’s a great rainy day or stay-in activity!
Wizcape AcademyKey EnigmaEscape roomTabletopThis was expertly designed in terms of materials. There is an online storytelling component that keeps the narrative moving along (and serves as your hint system), but everything you need is meticulously printed onto roughly a dozen sheets and tools that fit into a flat envelope. They did so much with so little, with each physical card having clever, creative uses. My only (personal) reservation is that some of these puzzles got to be quite tedious - there is a fine line between challenge and busywork, and I think this teeters dangerously on the precipice. However, this was an overall enjoyable experience (and was deceptively difficult!).
PuzzBox™SCRAP Co. / Real Escape Game - OnlineEscape roomTabletopSCRAP is known for their paper and pencil puzzles, so having an entire experience self contained to a locked box and various envelopes seems very fitting. While it looks simplistic, there were elements with the content that made it quite engaging — things that went a step beyond just “homework-sequel” activities. It has good entertainment value for you and a friend to just go through everything and crack open the box.
Host Your Own Escape Room - KyotoTalking TablesEscape roomTabletopThis game was...incredibly lacking, unfortunately. The puzzles were an odd mix of somehow unclear and too simple? Instructions and logic were unintuitive for the gameplay, the use of included props and materials was not particularly effective, and once you've figured out what they wanted all along, it was strangely simplistic (yet felt irrelevant to all the clues leading you up to that point). There was no scaffolding, and it felt like there was just too big a gap between what you're given and what the end results should look like. The experience ends up being rather unsatisfying.
