Boardgame - Escape Room: The Game - Spin Master

Publisher:

Spin Master (US/Canada)

Designers:

Unknown (boo!)

Artist:

Roland MacDonald

Languages:

English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish & many more

# of Players:

3-5

Age:

16+ (10+ in my opinion)

Duration:

60 min

BoardGameGeek References:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204836/escape-room-game/

Game Design & Mechanics

Picture from the manufacturer's website

• The central piece of this game is a custom electronic module called the "Chrono-Decoder". The Chrono-Decoder fills multiple roles. In addition to being a timer, it provides nicely irritating sound effects 😇, it sports multiple code cyphers on its sides, and it only acts as the physical manifestation of every single lock you'll encounter in the game.
• The game also includes a series of plastic keys. They come in 6 different designs, and each of them sports some characteristics (a letter, a digit, a roman numeral, a geometric shape, etc). Depending of the scenario you're playing, one of these characteristics will help you find which 4 keys to put in the Chrono-Decoder. Put in the wrong keys, and 1 minute of your remaining time will be taken away.
• Each scenario (there are 4 included in the game box) is made of envelopes clearly marked "Part 1", "Part 2" and "Part 3". Players read the introductory text, start the timer, then open Part 1. They're not allowed to move on to Part 2 until they've entered the right keys into the Chrono-Decoder. Then it's Part 3, and getting the third set of keys will result in a little victory fanfare.
• At some specific time, the Chrono-Decoder will let out a little chime to let you a new hint card is available to you. Those cards use a classical "red filter" decoder to give a bit a nudge. Be warned, though - if the hint you get is helpful, then you're kinda running late. 😎

Pros

• Let's cut to the chase here: as write this, this game is my favorite. Each scenario does a great job at recreating the same kind of puzzle-solving, visual inspection and logical deductions you see in real-life Escape Rooms. UPDATE: See the Comments section.
• Every part of every scenario is non-linear to some extent. A couple players can easily "search a room" while others work on more menial tasks.
• Speaking of room searches, every scenario includes at least one "room map" that unfolds into something big enough for a few people to inspect simultaneously.
• Some scenarios will include "disposable" clues that meant to be written on / folded / cut off during your playthrough. Replacements can then be printed off the game's website.

Cons

• In many instances, the storyline feels a bit "tacked on", and it becomes hard to feel a connection between the keys we're looking for and the supposed events happening in the background. Then again, that's something that can be said about most of the Escape Rooms I've played...
• The price is pretty steep, especially knowing that this single purchase will provide you with 4 hours of entertainement, at best. As a possible workaround for this, consider reselling / joining a group purchase / renting the game from a boardgame library or club.
• It's not something I personally felt, but a couple fellow players pointed out they didn't like the fact that, due to the game being split into parts, they knew exactly how well they were doing. It's true most escape games will keep you guessing until the last minute.

House Rules & Suggestions

Should you play this and want to compare your performance with friends, I suggest you do the following:

• Every player must pause while hints are being read
  You're encouraged to use the hints (like I said, if they're helpful you're already struggling in my book), but I like the idea of them having a (tiny) cost.
• Alternate hints for "Nuclear Countdown"
  The Nuclear Countdown scenario, while one of the most entertaining, has a few bits I don't find quite fair. When you play that scenario, I suggest you consider the following:
• Replace the 45-minute hint with the following:
  
  During interrogation, William said: "Follow my footsteps to the 5 locations you're still considering at this point. Use the string and see the shape. Remember I visited one location twice."
• At the 35-minute mark, add this extra hint for Part 2:
  
  There is a phone number hidden on the suitcase itself.

Currently Out (underline bold titles are those I've played)

• Prison Break
• Virus
• Nuclear Countdown
• Temple of the Aztec
• Welcome to Funland
• Murder Mystery
• Casino
• Secret Agent
• The Dentist
• The Legend of Redbeard's Gold
• The Magician
• The Basement (Introductory mini-scenario)
• Alice in Wonderland
• Dawn of the Zombies
• Panic on the Titanic
• Another Dimension
• Wild West Express
• The Switch (also known as "The Break-In")

Boardgame - "Escape the Room" series - Thinkfun

Publisher:

ThinkFun

Designers:

Rebecca Bleau, Nicholas Cravotta

Artists:

Erwin Madrid, Victor Pérez Corbella

Languages:

English, French

# of Players:

3-8*

Age:

10+ (13+ for Dr. Gravely's theme)

Duration:

120 min (90 for more than 6 players)*

(*) See "House Rules" below

BoardGameGeek References:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/193560/escape-room-mystery-stargazers-manor

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199493/escape-room-secret-dr-gravelys-retreat

Game Design & Mechanics

Picture from the manufacturer's website

• The core mechanic for this series of games revolves around envelopes. After reading the introductory text and starting your (self-provided) timer, you pick up a number of large square envelopes. These envelopes are meant to represent the different furniture and decor pieces found in the room you're currently trapped into. The outside of each envelope (and whatever clue you might find on them) is immediately accessible, while its content can only be accessed once the envelope (aka the object depicted) has been "unlocked". Envelopes can contain all sorts of things (well, flat things 😄), Scene Cards, and even smaller envelopes.
• The game also includes a Solution Wheel that the players use to unlock the envelopes. So even though puzzles can vary in their nature, they always end up yielding a series of colored pictograms. To "unlock" an envelope, you refer to its unique icon shown in its corner. Slide the wheel to match those pictograms, and if you have a match, you're now allowed to open that envelope.
• Scene Cards are clearly marked as such, and tell the story of your ongoing adventure. As soon as a new Scene Card is revealed, players should stop while one of them reads it out loud.

Pros

• If you like your Escape Rooms to have strong themes, you'll appreciate the Scene Cards. As my daughter told me, she often got more involved into these storylines than with most rooms we played.
• If you're trying to introduce people to Escape Rooms without spending a lot of money, these games can make for a great introduction, given that...

Cons

• ...they're really, really easy. Easier than anything I've seen in real life. It's not necessarily a disadvantage if you're aiming at a younger crowd (hence the above point), but I definitely had to point it out.
• Both scenarios are extremely linear. In theory, nothing in the game design itself prevents it from having concurrent puzzles - the designers just didn't do it, perhaps to prolong the experience.
• Although ThinkFun works pretty hard at coming up with varied puzzles, you already know you'll end up finding those same symbols, again & again.

House Rules & Suggestions

Should you play this and want to compare your performance with friends, I suggest you do the following:

• 5 players max 
  More than that will just get boring, as people will fight over the components.
• 45 minutes
  That time frame should make each game as challenging as a typical Escape Room.
• Note (semi-spoiler here) that each game reaches a point where players can decide to "push further" and take an extra challenge. Should your team do that, instead of "resetting the clock to 20 minutes", just add yourself an extra 10 minutes.
• Everyone pauses while Scene Cards are read
  And that time counter of yours can't be stopped until the entire endgame card has been read. 😎
• No hints
  That's right, suck it up!
• Ok, well, if you're playing Dr. Gravely's and getting stuck on the prisoners, it's ok, go ahead and hit Google. 👍

Currently Out (underline bold titles are those I've played)

• Mystery at the Stargazer's Manor
• Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat